Shows
The Curious TaskRobert Poole - What's Wrong With America's Highways?In this episode, Alex speaks with transportation policy expert Robert Poole about his book Rethinking America’s Highways. Poole makes the case for replacing the current tax-funded, politically managed highway system with a customer-focused, market-based model. He outlines how tolling, public-private partnerships, and long-term concessions can improve infrastructure, reduce congestion, and provide sustainable funding. The discussion examines lessons from international examples, the political and technical barriers to reform, and why a shift in mindset is essential for meeting America’s future mobility needs.
References
Rethinking America’s Highways — Robert Poole
https://a.co/d/1gu8lW...
2025-08-1347 min
KMAS RadioFrom Beatles-Style Beginnings to Songwriter Stage Legacy – A Conversation with Robert PooleWe’re taking a trip down memory lane with Robert Poole — a musician, storyteller, and the man behind the beloved Songwriter’s Stage on KMAS. In this reflective, reintroduction interview, Poole shares how his musical spark ignited in his teens, from playing in a Beatles-inspired band in Tacoma to rubbing elbows with rock legends like The Kinks and The Byrds. Along the way, he opens up about his deep connection to Hood Canal, his years hosting open mics and curated songwriter showcases, and the wild adventures that took him from the Pacific Northwest to California, Mexico, and back again.F...
2025-08-1339 min
The Entrepreneur’s KitchenGrow Your B2B Business Through Cold Calling That Converts with Robert PooleSend us a textWant to grow your B2B business as a solopreneur? In this episode, Robert Poole shares his proven cold calling playbook and strategies to help you expand your business, land high-value clients, and boost your sales pipeline.What’s Covered in This Episode:How to leverage cold calling as a solopreneur to scale your B2B business.Robert’s step-by-step cold calling playbook that delivers results.The key mindset shifts needed to approach cold calling with confidence.Proven strategies for converting cold leads into loyal clients.Tips for mana...
2024-06-1530 min
Biz Help For YouThe Exact Process to Go from Operator to Absentee Owner with Robert PooleSend us a textLet me tell you about my fascinating guest today! Robert Poole is the co-founder of Total Business Results, where he helps entrepreneurs make the transition from being tied to their businesses as operators to becoming free as owners. He's a West Point graduate with over 25 years of experience in scaling companies into saleable assets that run without the founders. In this interview, Robert shares his own journey from operator to owner, including the mindset shifts it took. He gives actionable advice for entrepreneurs who feel trapped doing the day-to-day work, so they can...
2024-05-1730 min
Inside The FirmMonday Morning Coffee with Robert PooleRobert Poole is the co-founder of Total Business Results. He helps entrepreneurs who are tied to their businesses make the transition from operator to owner in their business so they can finally achieve the freedom that got them into entrepreneurship in the first place. Robert is also a graduate of West Point, previously an Army officer, and has over 25 years of experience in helping entrepreneurs grow their companies and turn them into saleable assets that don’t depend on them for the day-to-day operations. Today he is going to share a little about how to get free from your business an...
2024-05-1334 min
The Find Your Leadership Confidence Podcast with Vicki NoethlingRobert Poole on Does Cold Calling Work in the Age of Digital MarketingSubscribe to Our PodcastIn your business, are you an operator or an owner? This episode of the Find Your Leadership Confidence Podcast, hosted by Vicki Noethling, Robert Poole, co-founder of Total Business Results, shares invaluable insights on transitioning from being an operator to an owner in your business. With over 25 years of experience guiding entrepreneurs towards achieving freedom from their businesses, Poole, a West Point graduate and former Army officer, delves into the topic of reclaiming time and freedom as an entrepreneur. The episode titled “Does Cold Calling Work in the Age of Digital Marketing” explores critical aspects of c...
2024-03-1032 min
Experts SpeakHow to Move from Operator to Owner with Robert PooleRobert Poole is an entrepreneur who helps entrepreneurs move from being the operator of your business to being theirthe owner of their business. Listen to this interview, and you will hear Robert's story on how he had to learn to make this transition alone. Today, he can help you transition from being the operator of your business to the owner of your business, so you won't have to go it alone. Connect with Robert after you listen to this helpful interview. Learn more about Robert at his website. https://www.youtube.com/@therobertpoole, or email him: Robert@OperatorToOwner.Net.
2024-02-1223 min
Faith Based Business PodcastBusiness Owner or Business Operator – Robert PooleBusiness Owner or Business Operator Robert PooleHow many of you are running a business? Now, don’t get hung up on that term, “running a business.” If you are working for a company, you are “running a business.” You are trying to do your job, obtain recognition, pay raises and job security. You’re in the business of promoting yourself. Amen.If you are in full time ministry – I guarantee you are operating a business.If you are self-employed – you are running a business. If you are in the corporate world, you are running a busine...
2024-01-2736 min
Play Big Faster PodcastFrom Operator to Owner │ Robert PooleIn this episode, join us for a conversation with Robert Poole, co-founder of Total Business Results and expert in guiding entrepreneurs from being tied to their businesses as operators to becoming owners. With over 25 years of experience, Robert shares insights on making the crucial transition for entrepreneurs to achieve the freedom they initially sought in their entrepreneurial journey. As a West Point graduate and former Army officer, Robert draws on his extensive background to help entrepreneurs grow their companies into saleable assets that no longer rely on their day-to-day involvement. Discover practical strategies to break free from...
2023-12-1322 min
Play Big Faster Podcast#58: From Operator to Owner │ Robert PooleIn this episode, join us for a conversation with Robert Poole, co-founder of Total Business Results and expert in guiding entrepreneurs from being tied to their businesses as operators to becoming owners. With over 25 years of experience, Robert shares insights on making the crucial transition for entrepreneurs to achieve the freedom they initially sought in their entrepreneurial journey. As a West Point graduate and former Army officer, Robert draws on his extensive background to help entrepreneurs grow their companies into saleable assets that no longer rely on their day-to-day involvement. Discover practical strategies to break free from the daily grind...
2023-12-1322 min
Chasing The InsightsRobert Poole on Shifting From Operator to Owner in Your BusinessIn this episode of Chasing the Insights, I talk to entrepreneur extraordinaire Robert Poole. Robert talks to us about shifting from operator to owner in your business - working ON, instead of IN the business. Robert Poole is the co-founder of Total Business Results. He helps entrepreneurs who are tied to their businesses make the transition from operator to owner in their business so they can finally achieve the freedom they got into entrepreneurship in the first place.. He is a graduate of West Point, previously an officer in the US Army, and...
2023-12-0536 min
Think Business with TylerTurning Loss into Leadership with Business Expert Robert PooleWelcome to Think Business with Tyler, the show where today's business innovators share their firsthand insights and breakthrough ideas.In this episode, we're unlocking the power of the cold call with marketing maverick Robert Poole. With a track record of 40 million calls, Robert's going to dismantle the myths and teach us the tested strategies that still make the phone ring gold.Plus, we're exploring the profound shift from operator to owner that redefined his company after a life-altering moment.Get ready to dive into a story of resilience, the art of “Owner Time,” and...
2023-12-0438 min
Return To AuthenticityFinding freedom in business and helping others do the same | EP85 Robert PooleEpisode 85! Meet Robert Poole! Robert is the co-founder of Total Business Results, a business that helps entrepreneurs learn to run their business without being caught up in the nitty-gritty of running their business. He shares how he had to come to this knowledge through his own experience when his business partner suddenly passed, leaving Robert to step from the operator in the background to the front man, the operator and everything in between. Something had to give as there wasn’t enough hours in the day to get it all done. You’ll enjoy this conversat...
2023-11-291h 09
Your Brand AmplifiedTransforming from Business Operator to Business Owner with Robert PooleEver wondered what it takes to not only excel in entrepreneurship, sales, and cold calling, but also shift your mindset to see challenges as opportunities? Our guest, Robert Poole, founder of Total Business Results, has certainly cracked the code. Starting as an introverted army officer, he embarked on an inspiring journey to become a successful business owner, mastering cold calling, and debunking common myths associated with it. He even shares some insightful tips on how introverts can use their unique listening skills to shine in sales.Poole's experience in manually cold calling, complete with a funny anecdote...
2023-11-2740 min
Freedom Nation PodcastEscape the Beautiful Prison: Mastering Business Ownership with Robert PooleToday, we have the incredible Robert Poole joining us. If you're a business owner or an aspiring entrepreneur, this episode is a must-listen. Robert is here to guide us on breaking free from the beautiful prison we often build for ourselves as business owners. In this conversation, Robert shares his journey from being an Army officer to venturing into various sales roles and eventually co-founding a successful B2B appointment setting and lead generation firm. However, the turning point came when unexpected circumstances left him as the sole operator of the business, leading to a realization: he needed to...
2023-11-1425 min
The Thoughtful Entrepreneur1725 - Veteran's Day Special: Unleashing the Power of Independent Thinking in Your Business with Total Business Results' Robert PooleIn this episode of the Thoughtful Entrepreneur, your host Josh Elledge speaks to the Co-Founder & Owner of Total Business Results, Robert Poole.
Robert's journey began 22 years ago, focusing on B2B cold calling. However, a life-altering event, his business partner's heart attack, led him to reevaluate his role and the future of his company.
This catalyzed Robert's mission to create a business that could thrive without his constant presence, a mission he now shares with other small business owners.
Robert shared his insights on addressing common issues such as overworking and the exhaustion that comes from constantly generating ideas. He...
2023-11-1122 min
Veteran On the MoveTransitioning from Operator to Owner with Robert PooleIn this episode of Veteran On the Move, Joe is joined by Army Veteran and entrepreneur Robert Poole. After graduating from West Point, Robert served as an officer in the Quartermaster Branch before transitioning to the civilian sector. He is the co-founder of Total Business Results; a B2B marketing company specializing in cold calling. Robert shares his journey into entrepreneurship and how he shifted his business based on the demand and needs of customers. He now helps other entrepreneurs move away from day to day operations and make their business an asset and not a job. Robert is offering...
2023-10-2333 min
Systemize Your Success PodcastSYS 036: How To Outsource Your Sales Calls- Interview with Robert PooleSteve is joined by Robert Poole who specialises in helping small businesses sell to other companies. Together they discuss the value of calling people over the phone to help sell your business, why it is important to tap into the emotional side of marketing and why systems are critical to your business’ growth. KEY TAKEAWAYS For a small company when you begin to make some revenue it makes sense to outsource somebody to cold call because let's face it, most people aren’t at that level. You can get brilliant results by making direct contact with compan...
2021-10-0736 min
Beyond Grit with Robert YoungNate Poole – Football Coach NC A&T, Former NFL AthleteNate Poole is a husband, father of 3 girls, and all-around amazing guy. He also happens to be athletically gifted. His hard work combined with exceptional talent landed him at Marshall University, which then led to a career in the NFL. Nate details what it was like growing up as the 3rd of 5 siblings living in a one-bedroom house and how his family structure contributed to his character development. Regardless of what he was asked to do as a child, he did it without complaining. His dad often pointed out how special that quality is in a young man and that...
2021-07-141h 38
Growing Your B2B Small Business with Robert PooleIntentional CultureIs company “Culture” a fluff statement? I used to think so. We all have a culture in our company, whether we realize it or not. The real question is, is that culture intentional and has your team bought in to it? Culture can either sink your business or turn on the afterburners of growth in your company.HighlightsCulture is the unwritten rules that the members have about values and beliefs in the company.At first, Robert discounted the importance of culture in business. He saw large companies do a poor...
2021-04-2216 minGrowing Your B2B Small Business with Robert PooleUse Spock's Vulcan Mind-MeldI’m not that smart. Neither are you. Most of us have heard of modeling as a way to shortcut success by learning from those more successful than us. What if there was a way to hyper accelerate this modeling to go even faster and achieve success quicker?HighlightsA mastermind is a group of peers that are all trying to learn or improve in the same thing.Robert had tried some different types of masterminds and didn’t find too much value at first. They mostly seemed like support or networking events....
2021-04-1613 minGrowing Your B2B Small Business with Robert PooleThe Difference Between Mediocre and Top SalespeopleThere are 5 traits that separate a poor or average salesperson from a top producer. In this episode we go through each trait offering explanations and examples.HighlightsThe same sales skills that make a great salesperson are the same skills that leave you feeling satisfied after a purchase.The skill set is the difference between poor sales and top sales people. Sales is a skill that must be learned.Top 5 sales skills, focused on prospecting, focused on the customer, great story tellers, intentional with language and communication, belief that they are helping.Prospecting: top...
2021-03-1615 minGrowing Your B2B Small Business with Robert PooleClark Kent and the PhoneboothIn this episode, we talk about the critical nature of understanding the identity of the prospects that you are selling to and how to think about shifting their identity in a way that aligns with your offer.HighlightsSales and marketing process of Hook, Story, and Offer.The Hook is something that gets the prospect’s attention. The Story is where you get the prospect to think about the product in some way that relates to them. Telling them that you understand their problem and you can help them solve it.The Offer is whe...
2021-03-1111 minGrowing Your B2B Small Business with Robert PooleGo All Hollywood (or at least model them)Hollywood uses marketing techniques to promote projects far in advance of the release date and this is a great strategy for businesses to use to grow awareness and create a strong launch.HighlightsWith most companies, their customers heard about a new product or campaign the day it was released.The more people that buy a product or service the more opportunity there is for word of mouth.Hollywood starts their pre-release campaign a year or more in advance.Start talking about the concept ahead of time.Make a lot of noise and promotion...
2021-03-0911 minGrowing Your B2B Small Business with Robert PooleIs Cold Calling Dead?Let's talk about the current state of cold calling for consumers and businesses, some of the reasons that cold calling is still a good prospecting technique, and the value of outsourcing to professional telemarketers. HighlightsYou should always be asking if you are prospecting in a relevant way. Telemarketing directly to consumers is pretty much dead.Calling businesses is still an effective method for prospecting.Outsourcing your B2B cold calling can be a great way to generate leads. Professional 3rd party companies know their business and will do a better job than most p...
2021-03-0519 minGrowing Your B2B Small Business with Robert PooleStop Wasting Your Most Valuable Personal AssetThis episode is about the importance of managing time in your daily activities as a leader. Keep focused on revenue generating activities and find a way to delegate or outsource tasks to free up critical time.HighlightsMost of us spend too much time on non-revenue producing activities.Some people spend 50 to 60 percent of their day on non-revenue generating activities.Should be spending 70% or more of time on things that generate revenue.Sometimes outsourcing is like giving yourself a raise.You can also delegate to someone else in house. There can be benefits but...
2021-03-0114 minGrowing Your B2B Small Business with Robert PooleMaking an Offer the Customer Can't RefuseHow do we create an irresistible offer for our product or service? Let's talk about common reasons that a buyer will reject an offer and some strategies for building an irresistible offer. HighlightsWhy don’t prospects buy? They Don’t trust you. They don’t see the value. They don’t want to make a poor decision.Having a great offer solves many problems and makes running the business easier.Find ways to increase the perceived value of the service or product. Make an offer low risk or have a...
2021-02-2515 minGrowing Your B2B Small Business with Robert PooleBe a Slacker. Really.For all the entrepreneurs and type A personalities - quit trying to achieve perfection. Listen for some strategies to manage perfection when working toward goals.HighlightsIt is ok to fall short of perfection.Insisting on perfection is bad but focusing on perfection is good.Focusing on perfection to learn to improve then it can be a positive.If we demand perfection before finishing the goal it can slow the process down and even prevent it from ever being achieved.Be sure to have a short-term deadline. A short-term deadline can help...
2021-02-2215 minGrowing Your B2B Small Business with Robert PooleFocus On This and You'll Be Out of BusinessIt can be very easy to fall into the trap of building your business with straw instead of brick. In this episode we discusses short-term thinking versus long term thinking and why it is critical to focus on the long-term consequences of every decision. HighlightsIf you build a business that is weak on fundamentals you will be in trouble or out of business when market issues occur.Short term thinking are things like, “we need this deal because we need cash”. Decisions that are for now and effect now witho...
2021-02-1915 minGrowing Your B2B Small Business with Robert PooleRevenue and New Customers Are All That Matters, Right?Why it is important to understand the difference between revenue, profit, cash flow, and net cash in the bank? This understanding is critical to a successful business, but it's not as simple as it seems. Listen to find out more.HighlightsRevenue and sales are obviously critical.The market votes on your idea by using their wallet.Revenue is cash that customers pay to you.Profit is a theoretical number and should be used as an indicator.What really matters is cash in the bank vs debt and liabilities.Many entrepreneurs generally like to...
2021-02-1510 minGrowing Your B2B Small Business with Robert PooleSell Benefits, Not Features, Right? Wrong.Episode SummaryIn this episode, Robert talks about what you should be talking about with clients instead of the traditional features and benefits-based sale. Highlights At some point almost everyone that works at a company is called upon to explain what the company does. Poor salespeople will focus on features.Good salespeople focus on the benefits to the prospect. How the features actually help the prospect.Many people will try to convert your benefits back to your competitors and turn it into a battle of...
2021-02-1212 minGrowing Your B2B Small Business with Robert PooleGet a New Employee Profitable QuicklyIn this episode, Robert talks about onboarding new hires quickly so that they become an asset quickly so that they can add to the bottom line instead of being an expense. He discusses a new system that his company has recently tried with great success.HighlightsIt can be difficult to convince people to take the time to explain or capture their role in a way that is efficient.There are consequences of not cross training and having multiple people that can do each role. If someone leaves the company and nobody else...
2021-02-1013 minGrowing Your B2B Small Business with Robert PooleBe Premium, Not BargainEpisode SummaryIn this episode, Robert talks about the trap of competing on price, the consequences of the strategy, and how to really position your company to grow. HighlightsIf you are the low-price leader, it can attract the wrong types of clients to the business. Most of them are not clients that can grow your business. If your offering is good, then you should charge for it. Charging less devalues the offering.Some buyers get nervous when they see a low price. It can evoke the “What’s wrong with t...
2021-02-0818 minGrowing Your B2B Small Business with Robert PooleSelling the MeetingThe most important concept for getting a meeting with the right decision-maker, is convincing them that it’s in their best interest to take time to meet with you – you need to demonstrate that you’re either going to save them money, make them more money, make life easier, improve their image, or solve a particular business problem.There are four parts to this: credibility, a script, the follow-up, and using simple terms.To improve your credibility, Robert suggests getting someone else to make the call on your behalf. You should also include any credentials you ha...
2021-01-1516 min2021-01-0114 min2020-12-3114 min2020-12-3014 minGrowing Your B2B Small Business with Robert PooleScope - A Danger or a Stress RelieverHighlights“Without clearly defined rules, parameters, and expectations, we can easily get ourselves in a bind when we don’t deliver what the customer expects.”“It goes the other way too – if the customers are not given specific expectations as to their responsibilities, you’re going to find yourself upset with them and will have a hard time serving them if you feel taken advantage of.”“Even if you don’t have a need for an attorney at the moment, always be on the lookout for a referral or someone you can come in contact with as you’re probably...
2020-12-2317 minGrowing Your B2B Small Business with Robert PooleSelling to the Wrong CustomersHighlightsWe need to find ways to take on clients that fit our business culture and expectations, and someone who we enjoy working with.“Life is too short to spend around people you don’t like.”“Money is great, but at the end of the day, if you’re not getting the satisfaction of knowing your business is making a difference in people’s lives, you’re never going to be satisfied and fulfilled by what you do.”“If you’re trying to sell customers a specific service or product that they don’t want or need, you’re selling t...
2020-12-2114 minGrowing Your B2B Small Business with Robert PooleThe Most Noble ProfessionThere is a common misconception that sales people are sleazy, unethical, and greedy. Sales is seen as a sort of low-end profession. Robert reminds us that without salespeople, there would be no functioning economy – so we should be thanking them for the conveniences we have every day.Robert tells us that every person is a salesperson in some way, and that as salespeople we need to be helping people make decisions to use our product or service, because most people have a hard time making decisions to begin with.How do we change the way we...
2020-12-1812 min
Anatomy of NextRobert Poole // GridlockWhy is the traffic so bad? And why is so hard to build new transportation infrastructure?
Robert Poole is the co-founder and director of transportation policy at Reason Foundation, and the author of Rethinking America’s Highways. We talked about congestion, variable pricing, light rail, tunnel boring machines, and why they don’t seem to work in our cities — or rather, why we won’t let them work — and the infrastructure policy our politicians craft and pass that seems to be crippling us.
2020-12-1833 minGrowing Your B2B Small Business with Robert PooleBe a HeroIn this episode, Robert talks about the importance of your role as a business owner – this could apply whether you’re in B2B or in B2C.Robert reminds us that small businesses make up the vast majority of all existing businesses – the Fortune 500 or major corporations account for a very small percentage of businesses. We hear the stats regarding the contribution that small businesses make to the bigger picture, but also the rate at which small businesses tend to fail.While the pandemic has shone a light on the incredible healthcare workers as heroes...
2020-12-1613 minGrowing Your B2B Small Business with Robert PooleYour Customers Are ConfusedIn this episode, Robert talks about how we tend to confuse customers and how we can remedy that.Consumers nowadays are overwhelmed with choices – we see this in shopping centers where we can choose between 15 different kinds of soaps, or on Netflix where there are thousands of shows. This means a company has to be aggressive in their marketing just to stand out.Robert tells us that besides being aggressive with our marketing, we should be telling our prospects what they should be doing. At every touchpoint, we need to be narrowing down our prospects’ choi...
2020-12-1414 minGrowing Your B2B Small Business with Robert PooleThe Most Powerful Force in Your LifeIn this episode, Robert talks about the power of influence that the people you surround yourself with have on you – whether physically or virtually.Robert tells us about his experience in the army and his experience with the concept that “we become like those around us.” We learn about the 3 social groups that we may find ourselves in and how they influence our business and behaviors. Robert challenges us to look at our lives, identify the influences we have around us, and determine which ones we want to keep.Robert reminds us that the second larges...
2020-12-0313 minGrowing Your B2B Small Business with Robert PooleBrutal. Honest. Totally Necessary.In this episode, Robert talks about evaluating your business risk and looking at the potential upside – getting it wrong really hurts.Robert reminds us that as entrepreneurs, it’s critical that we have vision, excitement, and forward positive thinking. If we don’t have that, we won’t be able to achieve what we set out to do.On the flipside of that, Robert tells us that if we look at everything with a positive attitude, we’re eventually going to get blindsided by a problem that could be catastrophic. Looking at the downside is just as im...
2020-12-0113 minGrowing Your B2B Small Business with Robert PooleFreebies - A Curse or a BlessingIn this episode, Robert talks about the temptation to take an easy influx of cash. This is a temptation that most entrepreneurs face, and today Robert tells us how to resist it.There’s a different mentality when you’re dealing with millions of dollars versus living paycheck-to-paycheck, and Robert shares some examples of how being unprepared can lead to bigger problems.Robert reminds us to be weary of anything that comes quickly or easily if it’s out of the ordinary. If we aren’t in the right mentality to handle a certain level of growt...
2020-11-2010 minGrowing Your B2B Small Business with Robert PooleEveryone Is a RiflemanIn this episode, Robert talks about the importance of a consistent sales message throughout your whole company. This can either kill your client retention or take it to new heights.People tend to have a negative connotation of sales – this is mostly due to the unscrupulous, unprofessional people who call themselves salespeople.Robert reminds us that, as entrepreneurs, we need to acquire the skills needed to sell – if we look at the companies that dominate their industries, it’s usually because they’re masters of sales and marketing, and not necessarily because of the quality of their...
2020-11-1911 minGrowing Your B2B Small Business with Robert PooleMoney Is GoodIn this episode, Robert talks about one of the greatest roadblocks we face as entrepreneurs and salespeople – the belief that monetary success and wealth are evil and bad. Robert encourages you to keep an open mind in this episode, as he will be saying some controversial things.Robert looks at how success is portrayed in the Western world – in movies, the antagonist is usually an evil corporation looking to get more money by stepping on the average person. “Demonizing the rich is almost a tradition in this country.”We hear how this mindset is ‘taught’ to us throug...
2020-11-1813 min
2020-11-1702 minGrowing Your B2B Small Business with Robert PooleThe Difference Between Sales and Marketing - Why It MattersIn this episode, Robert talks about the difference between marketing and sales. If you don’t understand the difference, it’s tough to do either one of them effectively.Robert tells us about the “hook-story-close” concept, and the importance of breaking down beliefs in the marketing phase in order to get to the sales phase.How do you do that? Robert elaborates on the three phases: getting their attention, storytelling, and selling. We also get to hear how he structures his stories, and how to handle resistance in the sales phase.We learn that emo...
2020-11-1311 minGrowing Your B2B Small Business with Robert PooleEverything Should Be Directed Toward an ExitIn this episode, Robert talks about developing an exit strategy and focusing on developing your company into an asset and not a job.Robert elaborates on 2 scenarios, and shares his personal experience losing his business partner of 20 years. People tend to shy away from thinking about death, but Robert emphasizes the importance of responsible planning in business.We’re reminded that systemization is critical, and that if the company can’t function on its own without major input from us, we are essentially employees, not owners. Robert tells us we need to constantly look...
2020-11-1112 minGrowing Your B2B Small Business with Robert PooleScale-An Accelerant or Killer In Your BusinessIn this episode, Robert talks about the concept of Scale. It can be one of the biggest roadblocks or accelerators for your business, depending on how you use it.Robert tells us that in order to avoid multi-level consequences, we should consider scale. We hear his philosophy on evaluating downside versus upside risk, and he tells us how to determine whether an activity is scalable or not.When we spend time thinking about scalability, we are more able to see the long-term potential of a strategy, and therefore give us more confidence to move forward – “if y...
2020-11-1010 minGrowing Your B2B Small Business with Robert PooleHow to Avoid Wasting Time and Money Pursuing Prospects With the Wrong Sales MessageIn this episode, Robert talks about how to avoid spending tons of money and time going after prospects with the wrong sales message.If we don’t know in which stage of the buying process our prospects and customers are, it’s difficult to market and sell to them effectively. Marketing to people with messaging that doesn’t fit them will most likely cost you the deal.Robert reminds us that we need to know who our “dream customer” is, and we learn how to identify the 3 different stages of buyers. While we do want to tailor...
2020-11-0912 minGrowing Your B2B Small Business with Robert PooleAre You Paying Yourself Enough?In this episode, Robert talks about giving yourself a raise in your business, regardless of what stage your business is in. The focus today is on what you spend your time working on, and what you don’t. In surveys, Robert found that his clients spend less than 40% of their time doing revenue-generating activities.What are revenue-generating activities? These are things like sales, marketing, and conversations with prospects, to name a few. These are not to be confused with administrative activities – typically “easy, fun, repetitive, or brainless” in nature. To distinguish between revenue-generating and administrative activities, Robert asks him...
2020-11-0612 minGrowing Your B2B Small Business with Robert PooleA Daily Habit That Will Change Your BusinessIn this episode, Robert talks about Owner Time. Have you ever been at a point in your business where you realize one day that you’ve been mostly reacting to events over the past 6 months and not made a lot of progress towards the goals you’ve set?Business owners aren’t a lazy bunch, but Robert reminds us that they often get caught up in momentum and don’t realize when they’re not focusing on the right things. Although it is true that action is ultimately better for progress than just thinking, taking the wrong action wit...
2020-11-0516 minGrowing Your B2B Small Business with Robert PooleIgnore This and Your Business Won't GrowYou won’t ever come close to the full potential or your company if you don’t intentionally focus on understanding your numbers, what they mean, and what to do about them. When I say “numbers,” I am talking about your lead generation numbers, the cost per unit of your product or produce, labor cost per hour, cost per customer acquisition, number of new customers needed to grow, etc. Let’s say you do know your numbers. You’ve tracked them and put them into some meaningful format. The next skill set is interpreting your numbers. First, generate and...
2020-11-0415 minGrowing Your B2B Small Business with Robert PooleThe Difference Between Cost, Price, and Value - and Why It MattersCost is the actual hard cost in dollars of physical materials and labor it takes to get a product or service out the door. Price, on the other hand, is what your company chooses to tell prospects they can purchase your product or service for in dollars or even other forms of payments. Finally, value is what your customers and prospects think of your product’s utility in solving their problem. In B2B, this usually means how much money it will make them or save them.If the cost is too high compared with the value, yo...
2020-11-0314 minGrowing Your B2B Small Business with Robert PooleCoronavirus - The Best Thing That Could Have Happened to MeThe Coronavirus has been a huge tragedy in almost all of our lives. However, the question becomes, how can you take this bad situation and turn it into a positive? When the Coronavirus panic hit in mid-March, the financial markets collapsed and most of the country went home. It would have been very easy to get severely depressed and feel helpless. However, something in me told me that I needed to take this as an opportunity to grow myself and our company. I really started changing my thought process from a defensive posture of dealing with obstacles a...
2020-11-0210 minGrowing Your B2B Small Business with Robert PooleHow To Keep From Losing Your Most Valuable AssetLet’s say you have 10 employees and do a million a year in revenue. You sell high ticket B2B, so maybe you have less than 100 customers, and a handful that make up a lionshare of your business. If you came into work one day to find that your biggest client that accounts for 25% of your revenue is pulling all of his company’s business, you are out $250K overnight. Quite a hit.It would still seem customers would be the most valuable. Maybe so in the short term and in the financial sense short term. Contrast that...
2020-10-3014 minGrowing Your B2B Small Business with Robert PooleNo Lead Left BehindFrom my experience in dealing with our clients and other business owners, too many entrepreneurs and salespeople leave money on the table by discarding a prospect because they aren’t ready to buy now. I have personally prejudged leads to my own detriment, but I think it’s important enough to remind everyone that it’s easy to fall into that trap. If you are managing leads yourself, you have to watch out for this, and if you have a sales team that is handling leads for you, you definitely have to educate them and keep a constant eye and sp...
2020-10-2911 minGrowing Your B2B Small Business with Robert PoolePainful, Time Consuming, and Costly If You Don't Do This RightYour attitude and commitment to hiring right is the start to doing it right. It wasn’t until almost a decade of hiring that I started putting more time and energy into the recruiting process. If you are in the position of just starting out in business and don’t have any employees yet, you should plan on dedicating substantial time to this because your employees are your business.If you have employees and have been in business for any period of time, you should sit down and think about the last person you hired. In financial term...
2020-10-2813 minGrowing Your B2B Small Business with Robert PooleFall in love with your clients, not your service.The old philosophy of mine that we should focus on building a great service rather than focus on what our clients actually need and wanted kind of permeated our whole organization. We were more focused on the fact that we offered a great service but didn’t take into consideration that what we offered wasn’t hitting the spot on what our clients needed. Or, that we weren’t targeting the right clients for what we were offering. I was obsessed with the service we provided when I should have been focused on our clients, but I was determined to tur...
2020-10-2708 minGrowing Your B2B Small Business with Robert PooleBreaking the Growth Ceiling in Your BusinessYour business needs a good system in place in order to run efficiently. The first thing you have to do is start documenting all the tasks your business has on a daily basis. Larger, successful businesses have operation manuals or knowledge bases, or some kind of training resources. This is not just corporate fluff. Without systems in place that are documented, they would have never gotten as big as they are. If you don’t have things documented yet, I would start out with the most important items and the rest can be added overtime. Anytime an emp...
2020-10-2613 minGrowing Your B2B Small Business with Robert PooleMe, Myself, and II isolated myself for three days in a hotel on the border of California and Nevada in order to disrupt my normal mental routine. This helped me to focus and zone in on the task at hand – setting goals for my business. After my business partner passed away, I was force to take over all of his duties and be the sole face of the company. I was overwhelmed with work and fell into a routine of working in my business rather than on my business, so I finally isolated myself away from the business and my normal routine....
2020-10-2311 minGrowing Your B2B Small Business with Robert PooleMaximizing Your Performance as the Leader of Your CompanyHow do you control your state of mind? Start the day off right and keep momentum through the day. To paraphrase Tony Robbins, “You can’t be grateful and depressed at the same time.” Being in a state of gratefulness for all the good things in my life automatically puts me in a better state. No matter your situation, I guarantee there are millions of people who wish they have what you have in your life. Different approaches work for different people, so I encourage you to find a routine that best works for you. You will find th...
2020-10-2211 minGrowing Your B2B Small Business with Robert PooleI'm Not That Smart - And Neither Are YouNo matter how high your IQ test shows, you cannot run everything in your business on your own. Maybe your ego is saying that only you should handle x, only you could deal with y, and only you can possibly work on z. That’s just not the case. In fact, IQ does not necessarily determine a business’s success. It helps, but where does expertise in one area get you if your business is still struggling financially because you are not able to complete certain duties the way they need to be completed? Not only are you g...
2020-10-2112 minGrowing Your B2B Small Business with Robert PooleSmooth Out Your Revenue StreamTake a look at what your business offers. Are you selling high-ticket items or are you selling some kind of service? Then, think to yourself: am I relying on my customers to make a one-time purchase and am I struggling to get new or recurring business in the door? Once you’ve identified what your company already offers, think about ways to extend this offer that will reel them back in; what kind of recurring, subscription-type service can your business give to them after the initial transaction? For us at SalesDouble, we started out only offering our cli...
2020-10-2010 minGrowing Your B2B Small Business with Robert PooleNo Excuse SirAt West Point, I was a plebe (freshman cadet) where I underwent various drills, one of which was “The 4 responses.” For all questions asked, I could only answer with “yes, sir,” “no, sir,” “sir, I do not understand,” and today’s topic – “no excuse, sir.” The “no excuse, sir” answer was meant to teach new cadets about taking responsibility and the importance of leadership by being accountable for the actions you did, did not, or will take. It created the mindfulness in me that there are no excuses for most problems I face. I decided to apply this principle to my business...
2020-10-1909 minGrowing Your B2B Small Business with Robert PooleEverything Works SometimesLike a lot of young salespeople and marketers, I have tried several different approaches which seemed like good ideas at the time. A mentor once reminded me of something he used to say often which was, “everything works sometimes”. What he meant by that was that no matter what marketing technique you use, you are likely to have some level of success. The real question that you should be asking at that point is, is that repeatable consistently, and does the cost justify the investment, what kind of ROI are you getting for your money, and are there better uses...
2020-10-1609 minGrowing Your B2B Small Business with Robert PooleLife's (and Business's) Most Important SkillI want to talk about a skill that has helped me immensely over the years in business selling B2B and in my personal life with family and friends. That skill is understanding people, where they are coming from, and how best to influence them in a positive way.This may seem basic in nature, but over and over again throughout my career in business I have seen people ignore this facet of communication and the consequence of not having this skill.I don’t remember where I picked it up, but I love the sa...
2020-10-1510 minGrowing Your B2B Small Business with Robert PooleBecomingI want to talk about an uncomfortable topic for me personally, but all entrepreneurs, salespeople, and anyone with success in their life faces it on a daily basis. That topic is becoming the person you need to be to achieve your goals.When I say this is an uncomfortable topic for me, I mean it has been quite a journey, and I’m not proud of my lack of growth over periods in my life. I went to the Tony Robbins Business Mastery a few years ago - which I believe every business owner should att...
2020-10-1408 minGrowing Your B2B Small Business with Robert PooleIf You Build It, They Won't ComeHave you ever had a salesperson pitch you on a product or service for your business that they claimed was going to have people knocking down your doors wanting to do business with you? There is a myth in business that if you brand yourself well, have a fantastic product or service that no one else has, that customers will come to you in droves begging to buy from you. We fell in the trap of falling for passive marketing techniques I talked about in Episode 1 when we should have been focusing our time on active methods. I...
2020-10-1309 minGrowing Your B2B Small Business with Robert PooleI Thought This Podcast Was About B2B?I want to talk about the crossover between B2B and B2C and we can use the best techniques to get the best results.First of all, let’s define what we are talking about with B2B on this podcast. Although some of the same concepts apply, this podcast is directed at business owners and sales people for smaller B2B companies, generally with sales under $5mm in revenue and who sell to other small or medium sized companies. There are very few resources for small companies selling to other smaller companies, which has...
2020-10-1212 minGrowing Your B2B Small Business with Robert PooleCuring Cancer in Your BusinessThis episode is about a problem that every business owner has who either has employees or plans to have them. This problem is the true cost of hiring the wrong employees, having the wrong people on your team, the toxic environment it creates, and how to deal with cutting out this cancer, while at the same time minimizing the stress it causes you a business owner and entrepreneur.First, please know that this is general theory and my opinion, not legal advice in any way shape or form, and you should consult an attorney on this subject...
2020-10-0916 minGrowing Your B2B Small Business with Robert PooleSkyrocket Your ProductivityWhen you arrive at work every day, do you have a plan for what you are going to accomplish that day? When the day is over, do you feel like you got a lot done or do you think to yourself, what did I even do today? For the first decade after starting our company I worked 60-80 hours a week, often 7 days a week. I’m sure a lot of you can relate.I spent time talking to clients, handling employee issues, messing around on Facebook, and just reacting to the day’s fires. I...
2020-10-0819 minGrowing Your B2B Small Business with Robert PooleI Don’t Need Help - Part IIIn part one of this topic of getting help outside of your own head, we focused on using the goldmine that is your internal team of employees. But what do you do if you don’t have employees? Are there any other ways to get feedback and insights into your business that will help you see things you aren’t seeing?Other than getting input from your team, you can get advice, feedback, and an outsider’s perspective by bringing in some kind of third party business coach or consultantOne of the things that I have...
2020-10-0712 minGrowing Your B2B Small Business with Robert PooleI Don't Need Help - Part IIn the last episode, we talked about how to implement follow up systems in our businesses.Today I wanted to go a little different direction and talk about a subject that I think most of us are guilty of at one time or another - getting tunnel vision in our businesses.I mentioned in a previous episode that I had a great business partner for many years in building our company, SalesDouble. There is definitely a synergy you get from being able to bounce ideas off of a partner or partners in business. Unfortunately, most...
2020-10-0616 minGrowing Your B2B Small Business with Robert PooleFollow the Rabbit TrailIn this episode, I want to talk about how you make sure you are avoiding the pitfalls many of us, including me, have fallen into, and how to implement an effective strategy for both prospecting, follow up, and growing your business.When we first started out as a company, as I mentioned in a previous episode, we did cold calling for our clients, and that was it. We’d take either their call list or generate one ourselves, and have our callers generate appointments or leads and email the info to our client - and that was th...
2020-10-0510 minGrowing Your B2B Small Business with Robert PooleThe Key to ALL ProspectingIn this episode, I want to talk about a subject that I actually love. Why do I love it? Because in my opinion, and most marketing stats will agree with me, it’s where the money is made in your business.Am I talking about bringing in more clients, getting more sales, spending less to acquire a client? Yes, all of the above in a roundabout way. What I want to talk about is follow up. I know you are thinking, ok Robert, that was quite a build up for such a basic principle. Everyone in sales or...
2020-10-0208 minGrowing Your B2B Small Business with Robert PooleNew Clients for FreeLast time I talked about outsourcing as a way of making both your traditional prospect over the phone and in person or online marketing effective.In about 2010-2011, we had given up on our online marketing efforts. In retrospect, it didn’t work because we didn’t do it right as I explained in the last episode. Regardless, the country was still recovering from the 2008 crash as were most businesses. As I mentioned in an earlier episode, we have grown our company almost exclusively through phone based cold calling since 2002. In about 2005, we were in the p...
2020-10-0108 minGrowing Your B2B Small Business with Robert PooleThe Only Way to Market for B2B Online.After the 2008 crash of the economy, our business took a hit like most other businesses. Due to our primary reliance on cold calling and active marketing, we survived the storm while many businesses went under. Even though we survived, this downturn forced us to do some soul searching on our business’s direction, and what methods we were using for marketing.In 2009, decided to take a different route in our marketing. We primarily started with the use of Google AdWords, which was the biggest advertiser at the time. Facebook was coming online, but not as powerful as Ad...
2020-09-3011 minGrowing Your B2B Small Business with Robert PooleThe Most Effective Ways of ProspectingHave you heard of the term call reluctance? Well, it is where salespeople are afraid of making a sales call. Cold calling is a nightmare to many people because of the fear of rejection. Even for the most seasoned salespeople, the fear of the phone is common. The truth about prospecting via cold calling on the phone is that it requires a different skillset from selling. If you're a great salesperson, or even if you aren't, and have salespeople working for you, this is a great activity to have specialized, skilled people do in-house or outsource.
2020-09-2910 minGrowing Your B2B Small Business with Robert Poole2 Types of Marketing that will Grow or Kill your BusinessAs a business owner, how can you get new clients for your business? Well, you can do things like run ads and industry publications, run online ads that point your website, send out physical mailers and fliers, or email general information on your product or service to your email list. These methods belong to the passive marketing category.Active marketing involves proactively approaching very specific potential customers. This can be done in person, which is the best-case scenario for b2b, in my opinion, over the phone, and via video call. It can also be done online...
2020-09-2810 minGrowing Your B2B Small Business with Robert PooleThe Journey BeginsWe're going gear this podcast to businesses who sell other businesses, and not to consumers. Again, it doesn't mean many lessons aren't relevant to B2C, but most interviews and topics will be geared toward b2b. So what are we going to be covering? My goal is to give you the best tips, strategies, resources, and tactics you can implement to grow your business quickly. This will come in the form of my personal experience and thoughts, bringing on subject area experts for interviews on specific topics and give you real-time insight into strategies we're trying as a...
2020-09-2506 min
2020-07-1615 min2020-04-0904 min2020-04-0915 min2020-03-0815 min2020-03-0801 min
2019-12-1411 min
,,,,,,, Come And Go With Me Let's Take A Trip Around The Ocean See Just Me And You You See The Wonderful Place To Be
2019-10-2805 min
2019-10-2805 min2019-10-1704 min2019-10-1100 min2019-09-2206 min2019-08-1707 min
Podcast – The Economics DetectiveAll Roads Lead to Toll Roads: Robert Poole on America’s HighwaysToday’s episode of Economics Detective Radio features a conversation with Robert Poole of the Reason Foundation. Robert is the author of Rethinking America’s Highways: A 21st-Century Vision for Better Infrastructure, a book on how to fix America’s infrastructure woes by changing the way roadways are funded: Americans spend hours every day sitting in traffic. And … Continue reading All Roads Lead to Toll Roads: Robert Poole on America’s Highways →
The post All Roads Lead to Toll Roads: Robert Poole on America’s Highways appeared first on The Economics Detective.
2018-07-0100 min