Looking back and looking ahead after 100 episodes

What a journey this has been! One hundred episodes of the Catapulting Commissions Podcast, and things just keep getting better. Many things have happened and changed over these 100 episodes, and today I’m happy to share all that with you. I’ll do this in the rule of threes. Three mistakes. Three successes. Three things I wish I knew sooner.

The Highlights

The first episode was pretty rough. There were only 8 downloads, and most of those were myself and my family. Since then we’ve had peaks and valleys, but overall consistent growth. The podcast is named after my book, which was the #1 bestseller on Amazon in the selling and marketing category. It was also chosen by Selling Power Magazine as the best sales book. The name Catapulting Commissions is now a trademark that belongs to Anthony Garcia Inc. Going forward, the podcast will now be called “Catapulting Commissions Sales Talk.” It’s a minor change I’m making to help me optimize my reach to the best audience for the Catapulting Commissions message. I’m excited to be launching a Catapulting Commissions sales agency this year, and I’m already working with some large companies. This sales agency is for closers. We are going to take people who want to close and get them there. We will be placing successful sales professionals in other companies to train their sales teams to be closers. It’s not going to be cheap, but it’ll bring so much value.

Three Mistakes

• Imposter syndrome is real. It always hits me as I start to take on new challenges on the journey. “You can’t work with X-company because you know nothing about them.” “You can’t share the stage with Y-speaker because they’re more successful than you.” “You can’t book Z-person the podcast because they’re too big.” For the first year, those thoughts would settle in and create doubt in my mind. I think it goes back to a few guests I reached out to early on who were downright rude to me when they turned me down. It caused me to doubt myself even more than I already had been. 
• I was intimidated to go after big guests. After I got those few rude reactions, it really made me nervous to go after big guests. I got lucky with people like Anton Gunn, Erin Hatzikostas and Ian Koniak. But overall I was too nervous to reach out to people. When I would, I’d often get ignored and then I’d get frustrated. Then the cycle would start all over again. I didn’t have enough confidence in myself, and because I wasn’t self-confident, I couldn’t attract the best guests.
• I wasn’t being myself. When I first started, I was so concerned with sounding professional and impressive that I was being someone that I was not. I wasn’t being an authentic version of myself. Hearing Erin Hatzikostas talking about authenticity really woke me up. I decided to start being myself and from that moment on the podcast was fun. No longer was I worried about my personal brand somehow hurting my corporate relationships. People would always rather work with/for someone who is authentic and honest. This translates to your sales deals too. No matter how big the deal, go into it being comfortable in your own skin. Be yourself no matter what

Three Victories

1. Once my confidence grew, I was able to be a guest on other shows. In the personal branding game, podcast appearances are important. Once I got over that imposter syndrome, I was confident about getting my name out there. Each time I’d appear on a podcast, my audience would grow. 
2. I grew my keynote speaking appearances. I launched this brand three months before Covid. All the speaking engagements I had booked were cancelled. But there was a victory there. I have been able to build my podcast audience over the past 100 episodes, expanding my reach, and allowing me to grow my keynote appearances now that they are picking up again. Even during Covid I was able to do some virtual appearances with some pretty big names. The stages are only going to get bigger, and I’m getting pumped about it.
3. I was able to get some big guests. There were several guests on my vision board when I started this journey, and I’ve been able to book two of them. NYT Bestselling author Rory Vaden was on my list when I first launched. I know how much value he brings to sales training and personal branding. I was so honored to have him on the show. John Lee Dumas as the other one, host of E on Fire podcast. It was his interview with Peter Voogd that inspired me to launch this podcast. I got connected with his podcast group, and I just soaked up every lesson I could. Having him on to talk about his book “The Common Path to Uncommon Success” was a dream come true. And the best news is the guest are just going to keep getting bigger.

Three things I wish I’d done differently

• I wish I had hired my VA, Tara, sooner. I ran four months without Tara, doing this whole thing on my own. I tried to hire some lower quality VAs, but the biggest game changer was getting Tara on the team. Along with that I wish I’d created a standard operating procedure manual for the podcast and the business.
• I wasn’t truly promoting my episodes. I can’t stress how much you get from content being pushed out. There are a million podcasts and videos and all these things competing for your attention. I didn’t promote enough at the beginning. It costs money, but it has really helped to expand the show and get a bigger footprint.
• I didn’t understand the power of video. First 20-25 episodes are all audio only. I was really banking on that “windshield time” that sales reps have. What better format to reach the road warriors than with a podcast? That all came to a halt with Covid. I had to pivot and start using video. The first ones are a little rocky, but now the engineering team has really helped me get the best audio and video we can.

Coming up, I’ll be having Olympic medalist Lauren Gibbs back. I’m going to reach out to Hal Elrod and Peter Voogd. I’ve got Bakersfield native Ashely South who is going to blow you away with her direct sales success. In the meantime, feel free to look back at the Catapulting Commissions sales blog. It contains so much value. Reading each week is truly like a master class in sales. Continue to keep up with the blog, listening to any episodes you’ve missed. And don’t forget to get active in the Catapulting Commissions community. We are going to reengage that community with exclusive content. To get connected, text me at (661) 228-8967.

Thank you all for being with me these last 100 episodes. Whether you’re new to the show or you’ve been a loyal listener, I appreciate you.

https://youtu.be/awVgmMLxlbY