Steve Schmidt 🧲

MAGNETIC (CONTENT-LED SALES)

MAGNETIC is a content-led sales consultancy where CEO Steve Schmidt works with CEO's and Founders, specifically, to establish original, non AI-based content across social channels.  

The MAGNETIC EATT Methodology.  


EXPERTISE

How confident are you that you are knowledgeable from a relatively non-biased standpoint?  
How can you display that prior to the first call?

AWARENESS

How do you build that constantly?

Multiple channels, research, and test. Don’t have time? Got it. Hire somebody. Don’t have the resources for that? You neither have time nor money, so that’s a lose-lose. Invest in the amplification of the voice of the founder, placing them, in time, as a trusted thought leader in their respective space.

TRUST

How do you build that before the first meeting?

Your POV matters. You, the person. The founder. One of the biggest problems in early-stage companies is getting what’s out of the founder’s head with systems and processes and onto paper. We help do that, both externally with prospects and internally with your employees.

TIMING

How do you improve timing?  Always be around with daily content drops in the social channels and feeds being connected with your prospect to proactively answer questions that your prospects are asking.


Additionally, we develop hyper-relevant messaging for all sales content across all personas within your Ideal Client Profile heavily tested, and then set to execution without burning through your TAM with cold, irrelevant messaging.  

Then, in a partnership with Regie.AI, there is also then the ability to teach personalization at point and at scale to the frontline reps.

Chief Executive Officer

The Maker Group

We’re a team of experienced commercial negotiators; all from industry, having cut our teeth negotiating complex, high-value deals in the real world. Each of our commercial negotiation consultants has spent years servicing some of the largest companies in the world, providing best-in-class solutions and support. We know your world, we understand your challenges, and we know how to help.

Advisor - Revenue 

Salesfinity

Get into instant customer conversations on the phone and automate workflow between your CRM or SEP. Motivate your sales team with competitions and generate strong pipeline collaboratively on a virtual salesfloor.

Advisor - Revenue

CloudTask

Content advisory for cloudtask to further enable and inform the worldwide agency around best practices and partnerships.

Advisor - Content

Regie.ai

Head of Commercial Revenue

SellX

(TIDAL joined) SaaS and Service companies from all over the world, Sell X now has over 100 customers on the platform, all working with our teams to deploy top-of-funnel outbound lead generation campaigns.  2022 target is to have over 250 customers working with our teams to generate world-class sales funnels!

Chief Revenue Officer (CRO)

TIDAL

(Exited)

TIDAL was the market leader for early to mid-stage companies to develop predictable revenue through our complete sales development approach. 

By leveraging the science of high-tech solutions with the art of human communication, our go-to-market omnichannel strategy provides solutions to outsourced sales needs and accelerates sales funnels even faster.

CEO and Founder 

KINETIC

Director of Sales at an RG/A Incubated & Tech Stars VC funded tech company, KINETIC.

My team is developing the playbook and outbound execution for warehouse and industrial facilities to deploy and manage their experience to provide a positive impact to their workforce by reducing injury and increasing productivity.

KINETIC REFLEX is a smart wearable that reduces the incidence of workplace injuries. REFLEX automatically detects high-risk postures and provides workers with feedback whenever high-risk motions occur. Over time, workers can use REFLEX to improve their biomechanics, resulting in fewer injuries and improved well-being.

Sales Director

Marco Technologies

Tech Advisor

T-Mobile

Sr. Sales Director North Central Region SLED and HigherEd

Content Strategy and Revenue Architecture - Creator of SOS (Sales Operating System), for top of funnel

Steve has been a part of world-class B2B sales organizations, including  Outreach, AT&T, and T-Mobile, and was the Founder & CEO of TIDAL 2020-2022 (M&A).  

Working with CEO's of companies who are at $1 million - $10 million in revenue as his niche and expertise reside in world-class top-of-funnel capture for niche markets. 

Founding the patented 3P framework for the top of the funnel in 2021, Steve continues to simplify the framework of outbound prospecting with his latest digital training, "SOS", the Sales Operating System.

You know where better than 1,000 likes on a LinkedIn  post?

One referral from a human being that trusts another human being.

Trust is extremely tough right now.  

And for good reason.  

Focus on making raving fans of working with you.  

All day long.  

Then, the likes in real life actually cash checks and build better micro communities and reliable channels for references.

Steve Schmidt 🧲 

LeadDelta - one of my favorite teams and led by a guy who I absolutely cherish - Vedran Rasic.

Sometimes the first time meeting face to face is while in line for your luggage as you arrive at SFO for SaaStr .

It’s gonna be a good week!

TOP LINKEDIN VOICE 2023 - Voice for Content Led Selling Movement - Negotiations Expert for Enterprise Sellers

No alternative text description for this image

I've written and executed over 1,000 email campaigns across 200 companies the past 3 years. 

Below, I share 3 tips on how to get your outbound email efforts working today. 

Go Vikings. 

#content #outboundsales #sdr #coldemail #outboundemail

Open article: FREQUENCY AND REACH -THE "HOW IN THE F*CK DO I ACTUALLY GET COLD EMAIL WORKING" EDITION by Steve Schmidt 🧲

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/frequency-reach-the-how-fck-do-i-actually-get-cold-steve-schmidt-?trackingId=TLpj2PizVHhjrWsUTDteLw%3D%3D

There is a movement happening with $1-$10 million per year companies. 

They are starting to execute on content VERY well. 

And they are distancing themselves from the competition. 

Esp. in niche markets. 

But before they worry about who is monitoring it, what the pipeline source is or what the pipeline velocity is, what revenue consultant taught them what pipeline playbook....

They worry about one thing. 

It's simple. 

Making good content. 

Content that can change the way that people act and feel. 

That's powerful. 

#content #sales #outbound #contentledsales

There is a reason why your deals are falling apart.

It is a secret that nobody is telling you in your Monday morning funnel reviews.

(This is an oldie but a goodie)

Your job as a salesperson is not to convince people to do something.  

Your job is to guide them into solving their problem.  

The assumptions and labels that we put on personas…

AI…

Spam email…

🛑 STOP

Your owner's manual for Content-Led Selling.   SOS = FREE for 30-days on YouTube.  

(link in newsletter.)

My primary rub with content? 

Cut the fluff - it ain't about you.   

LinkedIn starts to feel very clique driven, (it is essentially high school all over again).

Cut the distractions and get focused. 

🍿 😎 

__________

More free content that isn't fluff at https://lnkd.in/gfNVqb4r

__________

Open article: The Sales Operating System - Your Handbook for Content-Led Selling as an individual SDR, AE or Founder Led Selling by Steve Schmidt 🧲

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/sales-operating-system-your-handbook-content-led-sdr-schmidt-?trackingId=7%2FrdUsrFr5S3i5%2FpQuS8Vg%3D%3D

Perspective is everything. 

6 months ago, I was dead set on MAGNETIC (CONTENT-LED SALES) being a company of one. 

Mission - Maintain a lean team of freelancers who want to be the absolute best and focus on client impact.  

I did that.

We did that.  

I challenge perspectives on a daily basis.

It’s not intentional, it’s just my POV

So naturally, with the universe being what it is, my POV was challenged. 

“Could I do the work our clients needed for impact, not the work I simply wanted to do?”

“Can I actually not work 70 hours a week and make this thing still work?”

I went to dark social and community vs. a job board. 

One conversation with my friend and fellow founder, Nick Bennett,  led me to a person who I get the pleasure of, after 90 or so days, introduce to you all today as the Co-Founder of MAGNETIC.

That person is Bryan Grover, the new Chief Content Officer for MAGNETIC, and my co-founder. 

We are going to craft the creative narratives and GTM direction for those who share our POV.

And that’s not everybody.

Not even close.  

We aren’t for everybody.  

We are MAGNETIC.

Just over 5 years ago, I was in a very strange place. 

I had just gotten out of rehab and was newly sober. 

My sponsor for "the program" was a hard ass. 

Like tough as nails- and I didn't like it.

But I listened. 

He said, "The only thing you need to do is focus on staying sober. Get a very simple job that doesn't require much out of you so you can pour it into the program and your recovery."

Those words didn't hit me well, but I listened. 

"work there for one year. Show up every single day and then 3x a week you and I meet.  

That's where it started. 

I was in cube 13 and the year was 2018.  

I was selling Managed IT Services.  

Yeah, boring AF. 

But, it certainly was lucrative and the company had a solid regional background. 

I learned quickly that when the team all left around 3, I would have the entire place to myself. 

I would then set up shop in the conference room, bypassing the security (which is what we sold), that blocked almost all external websites, (true story.) I purchased, on my own and one by one - Outreach, Seamless, Sales Nav, Connect and Sell, Data Lists, Cell Numbers before that was a thing. 

And I learned. 

I would read training manuals and test new theories, laying them out like a madman on a whiteboard.  

My territory was 5 hours across the state. 

I would wake up at 3:30 a.m. and drive to arrive there in MST by 8:00 with donuts for the first client.  

48 hours of appointments set up set up on email sequences that I was now weaving with Conversica, virtual AI assistants having machine learning conversations with prospects and setting appointments for me while I was driving across the frozen tundra in my used Chevy Tahoe.  

I resigned 1-year and one day after I started, just as I had promised my sponsor. 

One year of consistently learning while applying in real-time.

I wouldn't let anybody tell me no internally.  

And if they did, I'd just hack the network to get what I needed to do, learn advanced computing, and stop just shy of coding. 

I learned to be resilient and that is something that if I had to take away from, it would be that. 

Not the insane amount of knowledge and big sales that were made. 

Be resilient, but first, be brave enough to accept the lesson that will make you as such. 

And life now?  This is the other side of failure, and it looks pretty damn good. 

----

More Content - https://lnkd.in/gRAF8t_R


I always challenge the status quo. I don’t do anything basic. Or accept things as they are. 

You teach me a system. I learn it, find the gaps, and then improve it for personal gain and for the gain of others. You can do both. 

John Legere, the CEO of T-Mobile taught me that.  I worked there from 2012 - 2016. He shocked the f***ing industry. He came in with long hair. He swore. He blew things up. People loved it. 

Why?

Because the industry needed him. He was the renegade that gave life to a dying industry. He was the brand. He created buzz by being the buzz. 

Lead generation needs that renegade. Lead gen firms are spinning out on traditional practices. We are in an age where people aka consumers don’t want to or need to be hunted. They want to pursue your business and not be hunted by it. 

That's why content led selling was born. 

I want to generate business where people raise their hands and say, “Sell to me!” 

I created a company like this a few years ago. Where I went from 0 to $7.5 million in 18 months. With 90% of the leads being hand raisers. 

I did this by creating content systems that showcased my expertise, built awareness and trust. Enabling me to be top of mind when the time was right for them to have a buying conversation. 

You can’t create revenue like this and at this speed with outbound sales systems. 

You can’t do this through outsourcing. 

You can’t do this by cutting corners or cutting costs. 

You can only do it through content selling systems that resonate with your core audiences. 

So what's your content plan?

#content #contentledselling


The 7 reasons why your content isn't converting to revenue.  

(PS, I said revenue, not just pipeline;)

- You are making it a Yes / No, buy now offering. 

- You are telling people what they are doing wrong but not telling them how to solve it.  You are keeping it a mystery.  Pass.  

- You only talk about problems, not solutions.  That gets old after 3-4 posts and can stimulate the trolls but they fade fast and don't spend money with you.

- Your LinkedIn POD gives you 250-300 early morning likes but all that work it took to generate an AI Carousel to drive SDR's to your course isn't working..., because it's lacking proof from credible resources that are people who buy things in your space.  

- Your space is crowded and people are tone deaf to anything related to something that can solve their problem without referred evidence from a close contact that they trust.  Think ADP and payroll.  Likely an easy referral but less easy 30 years ago.  It took that to get to where they are today .

- Your content is driving awareness but lacks any call to action.  Your content isn't making people change the way they THINK and ACT.  Awareness doesn't pay the bills. 

- You are unestablished in your niche.  You've spent zero time building the reputation of a credible thought leader in a time when you need to be more than ever.  You are posting daily, yet, you thought LinkedIn was a waste of time the past 5 years and now you are 5 years behind.  You need a very serious plan. 

#content #contentledselling #sales #b2b #demandgeneration #demandgen

Here is the software stack that it takes to grow and run a $1 million + lean business around Content Led Selling, (and any business, really.)

CEO’s don’t make decisions in the way you think they do. 

Or at least, many of them do not. 

They are making decisions with information that was given to them and vetted by their leadership team, more than likely.  

Why?

—-

Because the CEO may have heard about the problem…

Even have clear evidence that the problem exists.

Even know that it’s hurting the company, to some degree. 

—-

BUT - If they don’t have enough data to be informed, it’s useless.

—-

Good CEO’s make data-driven decisions even when they trust their team. 

They aren’t on the front lines.  

They trust their them to be able to bring issues with possible solutions to them  -only at the precise time.  

Not too early, not too late.  

Good leaders know how to fight for budget by also being data driven and telling a very easy to understand story.

—-

1.   Overview of the current situation.

2.  Overview of current pain caused by situation.

3.  Business problem or Line of Business Problem? (Think attrition, could start as a line of business problem that rapidly leads to intolerable levels of attrition if not remedied). CRO’s f*cking attrition and unpredictable churn.  

4.  Address the pain of change and ask instill proper change management.

5.  Lay their reputation on the line for said software / solution.

PS - an ROI calculator is a must in this economy.   

And in my book, in any economy.

Steve Richard - don’t you guys customize those for companies?

Persuasive writing is the hardest thing to teach and even harder to do at a high-level time and time again.  

That’s what we do. 

Passing along this to those who believe, also, that persuasive copywriting is the single most useful skill for a sales rep to possess.  

Because it is.  

PS - your sales manager won’t teach you this or even know what I am talking about.  That’s a good thing:)

Open article: 17 Little-Known Persuasive Copywriting Techniques You Need to Know by drip.com

https://www.drip.com/blog/persuasive-copywriting-techniques

Join us live for a Podcast on the Magnetic Podcast, Today Steve Schmidt will be interviewing Amir Reiter CEO at CloudTask.com, to discuss B2B Lead generation and how to convert Content.

I have helped 6 (including myself) CEOs generate 7-figures in business by following these 5 simple content pillars. 

Here they are:

Understand your target audience 
Identify your prospect's needs 
Research
AI in Content Creation 
Create a content calendar


Let’s dig into these a little deeper.

Understand your target audience

Your ideal audience does not mean what titles you want to target. It is more than that. You have to understand your consumers.

What podcasts do they listen to?
What questions do they have?
Where do they get their information?
What influencers do they follow?
Why do they follow them?

See? More than just the title. You have to KNOW your audience. 

Identify Prospects Needs

If you know your audience, you begin to understand what they need. 

Do they want/need more training on a particular skill set?
Are they spending too much time on certain tasks?
What do they want to focus on/spend time on during their working hours?
What problems are preventing them from reaching their desired future state?
What is their desired future state?
Why? Meaning what is happening now and why do they want that to change?

Research

You can’t fake good research. Research done well helps showcase authenticity. Go out and connect with people you think are your audience. Ask to connect with influencers that your audience follows and see if you can learn as much as you can about them. 

The more connections you make with your audience, the more likely they are to see you as trustworthy. 


AI in Content Creation

Don’t use AI to create an original idea. Have ideas. Use AI to create variations of those ideas. Then create something on your own. There are lots of tools that can help. Be careful though, they are only as creative as the user and the input that they have. 


Create a content calendar

You can randomly post. You can post on any occasion. If you want growth and revenue you need to post consistently. You need to plan what you are posting. If you want 7-figures in deals, you have to build consistency and a plan for content across all channels of media. 

There you have it. The 5 simple content pillars I use to help CEOs generate 7-figures in sales. 

It’s simple but not easy to execute. If you find this to be overwhelming. Don’t worry. You’re not alone. I’m here to help you on your content-led selling journey. 

Open video: TRANSFORM Your B2B Sales: The Secret SOS Content Pillars! on youtube.com

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O30DfzO2luI

It's a journey. 

Taking the first step can be scary. 

Let us take it with you. 

#content #contentledsales #sales #demandgen

Open article: The brave new world of Content-Led Selling is here. Don't worry, we've got your back. by Steve Schmidt 🧲

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/brave-new-world-content-led-selling-here-dont-worry-weve-schmidt-?trackingId=ZjC%2Bky64EkZEF5KppJQANQ%3D%3D

The latest hype train for SDR’s…

Using intent data.  

Which is now “free” in software such as Apollo.io .

Yet, there isnt a single study that’s been published with data using this method is effective when used against cold data.

I will repeat, not a single study.

Until now. 

Over the next 30-days, our now world famous  intern Conrad Zolman💭 will be A/B testing this with our own outcojjd cold email campaigns.

Now, we aren’t a series C or D or publically traded SaaS firm.  

Since SaaS loves hiring lead generation companies, we are going to use our own side by side data that shows content led selling out performing cold outbound + 10:1 and then use different messaging for the intent segment vs. the cold.  

Please keep in mind that this is not to say that intent data is useless.  Far from it.  It has been the Swiss Army knife for mini great marketers targeting domains, and personas that are assumed yet all but proven out to be extremely relevant and tied to the problem.

Chris Walker - consider this the first study.  Excited to share results. 

#intentdata #abm #sales

A particular sales engagement platform has had multiple issues this past week and is down yet again. 

That’s ok.

Go research the space and make some great content.

This is what CEO's and Decision Makers do 99.9% of the time when you pitch slap them.

Actually, they likely don't, their VA does.

They select one of 3 things

1.  Remove connection
2. Block connection
3. Report as spam

And, if you are reported in spam and abuse the pitch slap, you will not appear in the inbox of ANY of your connections.

You will appear in the one that if you open up your LinkedIn Messenger and see, "other".

Yes, that means spam.

Yes, that means your message won't be seen by anyone, ever.

Which is probably a good thing.

Taplio

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