Episode 4: How to Build More Credibility Using Customer Conversations with Ashley Welch

Ashley Welch, co-founder of Somersault Innovation and author of Naked Sales, explains how to find and harness the magic found in stories from your customers. She reveals how these tales can fuel co-creation, foster the birth of groundbreaking solutions and ultimately boost your credibility when pitching big ideas.

She is the endlessly curious co-founder of Somersault Innovation, a highly specialized consultative company that’s the first to apply design thinking to sales. She works with high-performing teams from companies like Microsoft, Oracle, and Salesforce to build deeper customer connections and increased revenue. She is the co-author of Naked Sales, a book about stripping away all preconceived notions and checklists when showing up in a sales situation and engaging customers in a more curious, empathetic, and authentic way. Follow Ashley and her customer-centric insights on LinkedIn here.

Hosted by Stuart Paap

Stuart is laser-focused on helping more people unlock brilliant and bold ideas. He works with pioneering biotechs, technology companies, and healthcare companies and regularly presents at universities and tech incubators like the Harvard Innovation Lab. He’s also a former stand-up comedian and is a yellow belt in Judo, which strikes fear into... no one.

The Influence Lab

You’re moving fast, working hard, and facing trade-offs with your time and energy. How can you be the most effective leader? How can you share your message with purpose and power? What can you do to boost your influence at work? In each episode, we sit down with experts to talk about leadership, teamwork, communication, and how to affect the behaviors and beliefs of those around us deeply.

Stand up to stand out. 

Podcast Timeline 

00:00-Introduction
01:55-Harnessing the Power of Design Thinking
04:55-Customer Centricity: Your Competitive Edge
06:57-How to Break Down Boundaries and Co-Create
8:08-Mining the Underlying Motivations in Others
16:20-Go Beyond Surveys to Customer Conversations
21:22-Doing Better Discovery
23:58-Ask Better Questions that Lead to Answers Full of Gold
34:04-Finding the Hidden Magic in Customer Insights

Learn more at influencedna.co/podcast

Connect with Stuart on LinkedIn.