From Zero to Sales Hero: Steve Caton's Strategies for Small Business Growth

Two Tall Guys Talking Sales

In this episode of Two Tall Guys Talking Sales, hosts Kevin Lawson and Sean O'Shaughnessey are joined by Steve Caton, CEO and Founder of Altezza Solutions. Steve shares his insights on how to build effective sales systems for emerging growth companies and provides a unique perspective on hiring part-time experienced salespeople. Dive into this episode to learn about the challenges and solutions in developing a robust sales strategy for small to mid-sized businesses.

Key Topics Discussed

1. Introduction to Steve Caton and Altezza Solutions (00:00:15)

   • Steve discusses the inception of Altezza Solutions and his motivation behind starting the company.

2. Challenges of Hiring Salespeople for Emerging Companies (00:02:36)

   • Steve talks about the common difficulties small companies face when hiring their first salesperson and offers an innovative part-time solution.

3. Importance of Sales Infrastructure (00:04:55)

   • The hosts and Steve explore the critical components of a sales infrastructure necessary for a sales team to thrive.

4. Salesperson Integration and Training (00:11:44)

   • Steve outlines a detailed onboarding process for new salespeople, emphasizing the first three months of integration.

5. Preparing for Business Exits (00:07:12)

   • Discussion on how business owners can enhance their company’s valuation by building a self-sufficient sales team before planning an exit.

Key Quotes

• Steve Caton: “The convincing piece wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be because it was almost like the reaction was, ‘Dang, I never even thought about that. That makes a ton of sense.’” (00:03:58)

• Kevin Lawson: “Sales organizations that are evolved, mature, robust, they attract talent...let's build the organization we all want to work for that attracts the right talent.” (00:10:15)

• Sean O'Shaughnessey: “One of the challenges that I have heard from my business broker friends is that when the CEO is the salesperson...they really struggle with the selling of the company.” (00:06:53)

Summary

Don't miss this enlightening episode with Steve Caton, where he shares invaluable advice on building a scalable sales infrastructure and the benefits of hiring part-time sales professionals. Whether you're a business owner looking to strengthen your sales team or a sales professional seeking new strategies, this episode offers practical insights and actionable steps. Tune in next week for more in-depth discussions with Steve on creating successful sales organizations.

You can reach out to Steve Caton at Altezza Solutions - [e-mail] - https://www.linkedin.com/in/scaton/

You can reach out to Sean at New Sales Expert, LLC & Sales Xceleration - [e-mail] - https://www.linkedin.com/in/soshaughnessey/

You can reach out to Kevin at Lighthouse Sales Advisors & Sales Xceleration - [e-mail] - https://www.linkedin.com/in/kwlawson/