PODCAST · business
Paul Higgins Podcast
by Paul Higgins
The Paul Higgins Podcast interviews the SaaS partners and platform leaders building consistent, cash-generating businesses on Salesforce, HubSpot, Zoho, Microsoft, Monday, NetSuite, Acumatica, and more. Prior guests include Jay McBain (Chief Analyst, Channels, Partnerships & Ecosystems at Omdia, and Channel Influencer of the Year), Sarah McDevitt (HubSpot), Heather Black (Salesforce), Marty Zigman (NetSuite), Brett Martin (Zoho), Barry Doucette (Microsoft), Robin Alex (GoHighLevel), Yash Tekriwal (Clay), Laurence Fitch (Slack), Gareth Pronovost (Airtable), Nick Sonnenberg (Asana), and Alex MacKay (Tequity).Host Paul Higgins helps SaaS partners escape the trap of billable hours, five verticals, and platform dependence, and move from lumpy months to consistent, cash-generating months. For episodes, show notes, and free resources, head to paulhigginsmentoring.com.
Episodes
-
710 - Your Vendor Won't Warn You the Wallet Is Moving
Your vendor referral pipeline has quietly slowed over the last six months, and you cannot put your finger on what changed. In this episode, I explain why the deals that would have been a certain size last year are landing at less than half, and why your platform will never be the one to warn you.…
more -
709 - The Brand Gets Rich. The Bike Shop Doesn't.
Your commission cheque is smaller than it used to be, the leads your platform sends you have slowed to a trickle, and every month there seem to be more partners fighting over the same deals. In this episode, I share a conversation I had with someone deep inside the HubSpot ecosystem about where…
more -
708 - You're selling the pieces. Not the puzzle.
You built AI into your delivery this year, your team ships faster, and your close rate is still sitting exactly where it was at the start of the year. In this episode, I break down why that happens, and why it is the same shift accountants faced 20 years ago when software started eating their...
-
707 - One Coffee. One Insider. Six Months Off Your Build.
Your prospects can tell within about 10 minutes of a Zoom call that you don't really know their industry. In this episode, I share the coffee meeting that stopped me from launching a hotel and cafe service line at Coca-Cola that would have made me the laughing stock of the trade, and the one…
more -
706 - Your P&L Is Lying About Your Margin
Your P&L says you made 60 percent margin last year. The real number could be half of that, and it is not an accounting error, it is the hours you spend on delivery costed at zero. In this episode, I break down a partner agency I evaluated for acquisition that looked healthy on paper, until we…
more -
705 - Being a certified partner is not a business.
Your certification feels like the asset. It is closer to a rented seat on someone else's platform, and AI is quietly pulling the chair out from under it. In this episode, I break down a conversation with a peer of mine, an ex-client who built a Zoho consultancy from scratch, kept a strong team…
more -
704 - You Are Competing With Other Partners Who All Sound The Same
You are one of forty partners on your platform, and every website, every LinkedIn profile, and every pitch says the same three lines: Salesforce implementation, Zoho work, Monday builds, HubSpot onboarding. In this episode, I break down the WHO decision that separates the partner who owns a...
-
703 - You Can Beat Them At Everything And Still Lose
You can beat the biggest partner in your ecosystem on content, on volume, on quality, and still finish the year at a quarter of their revenue with price as the only lever anyone hands you. In this episode I break down why that happens and what to do about it, starting with the rule Jack Welch…
more -
702 - Firing Your Agency Won't Get You More Leads
Firing your agency won't get you more leads. I got on a call this week with an MSP owner in a market with over 2,500 providers, all deals mostly on price, who had burned two years and thousands of dollars on two different agencies with next to nothing to show for it. In this episode I break down...
-
701 - Why AI Makes You More Valuable, Not Less, with Sarah McDevitt
Why you should listen Sarah McDevitt, a HubSpot leader and first-time author, breaks relational intelligence into five practical signals (Awareness, Presence, Empathetic Structuring, Connection Capital, and Human Differentiation) you can use to become the partner a client cannot swap out for a...
-
700 - Free content kept me poor
You subscribe to the newsletters, listen to the podcasts, watch the videos, sit in the partner events, and every quarter your revenue still falls behind the target you set for yourself. The smartest SaaS partners I know are usually the most stuck, and it is not because they are missing…
more -
700 - He Told Me He Despises Sales. I Told Him To Get A Job.
You've picked a real niche, built a real list, and spent real money, so why are there still zero sales calls on your calendar? In this episode, I break down what happened with a SaaS partner I'll call Dan, who sent 91 cold emails and dropped $6,000 on an association deal and still got nothing…
more -
699 - AI will expose you
Look at your last ten projects and ask an uncomfortable question: how many could the platform's own AI agent do most of within the next two years? For a lot of SaaS partners, the honest answer is most of them, and that is exactly the implementation, configuration, and migration work paying the...
-
698 - SaaS is Dead
Every podcast in our space is telling you AI has killed SaaS, and not one of them can name a client who has actually walked away from their platform. In this episode, I show you why the "AI replaces the platform" story does not hold up right now, and where your attention actually belongs instead....
-
697 - Five Verticals Feels Safe. It's the Riskiest Thing You Do.
The decision that scares you most is the one keeping you stuck, and the fear talking you out of it has a name: eggs in one basket. In this episode, I break down why that fear is a lie for SaaS partners spread thin across five verticals, and the two tests that kill it in under a week. I share how...
-
696 - Wrong Problem
You are about to spend months solving a problem you have never actually counted, and the real cost is not the wasted build, it is every move you do not make while you are stuck in it. In this episode, I break down three Slack conversations I had with SaaS partners in two weeks, each one convinced...
-
695 - Stop Doing the Delivery Yourself: A Smarter Way to Add Capacity with Jim Marascio
Why you should listen Jim Marascio runs Equals 11 with roughly 30 direct team members, yet delivers Salesforce work with on-demand access to more than 600 certified engineers. He breaks down the exact staffing partnerships in LATAM and Europe that let a lean business play far larger than its...
-
694 - The 60% Shift
You did not get into this business to sell configuration hours, but at some point that became the model anyway. In this episode, I break down the one number from Forrester's Microsoft modern work partner study that every SaaS partner should sit with: 60 percent of last year's partner revenue…
more -
693 - The AI Revenue Play Sitting in Your Closed Lost Pipeline.
Still treating your closed lost pipeline as a graveyard, chasing new leads while old quotes gather dust in your CRM? In this episode, I break down two AI revenue plays most SaaS and platform partners are missing completely: winning back business you already quoted and lost, and turning your best...
-
692 - He liked being the one everyone called. That was the problem.
If your business is fully booked and still can't grow, the problem is not capacity and it is not systems. It is that everything still runs through you. In this episode, I share the question I ask every SaaS partner I work with: what would have to be true for you not to be needed in delivery...
-
691 - Why Going All-In on One Vertical Beat Staying a Generalist with Chris Widmayer
Why you should listen Chris Widmayer took Penrod from a generalist Salesforce shop to one of the top five healthcare partners at Salesforce, and lifted gross margins by about 15% (now sitting between 47% and 55%) by committing to a single vertical. Learn how he built productized packages and SaaS...
-
690 - You Quote the Commodity and Give Away the Premium
The hardest thing you do, you price at zero. The configuration anyone with a certification can deliver gets quoted down to the hour, then the integration thinking the platform was never built for, the architecture, the judgment, you throw in for free because it doesn't fit on a line item. In this...
-
689 - Why Building More Tools Won't Fill Your Pipeline
You finished the week proud of the automation, the agent, the tool you finally shipped. Then the quieter thought lands: not one conversation with anyone who could actually buy from you. In this episode I name the trap that catches most SaaS partners who came from corporate or delivery, where...
-
688 - Your Shop Looks Great. The Footpath Is Empty
You keep telling everyone the business is fine, and your pipeline, your LinkedIn profile, and your bank balance at the end of the month keep telling the truth. In this episode I go back to the years I spent saying "great" to anyone who asked, while my body was in kidney failure and everyone…
more -
687 - Why Your Face Outranks Your Company with Gideon Shalwick
Why you should listen Gideon Shalwick built Vubli after nearly 20 years in online video and software, and he breaks down why your personal brand channel outranks your company channel in both search and AI results every time. Learn how to structure a short-form video so viewers stop scrolling and...
-
686 - 28 Moments Decide the Deal Before You Know It Exists
A buyer in your niche just picked their SaaS partner. It wasn't you, and you never knew the deal was happening. In this episode I break down what Jay McBain, the most quoted channel analyst in the world, told me about the 28 moments that now decide every considered purchase, and why the deal is...
-
685 - Why Your Client Will Ask for 5 on 60 Next Month
A client called you last week. The report used to take an hour. Now it takes five minutes. They want to know why they're still paying for the hour, and the honest answer is you don't have one. In this episode, I break down why AI didn't break your pricing model, it just exposed what was already...
-
684 - 73 Minutes to Stop Running Two Businesses at Once
Working hard on the wrong thing and you can feel it, but you can't see it from inside the jar. In this episode, I break down the Decision Call format, what it is, why it works, and the pattern showing up across four very different SaaS partner businesses I ran calls with recently. One was a...
-
683- Get Specific, Get Rich, or Get Out with Jay McBain
Why you should listen Jay McBain breaks down the data behind why 51% of partners are in double-digit profit decline while the industry grows at 10.2%, and what separates the partners winning from the ones quietly falling behind. Learn the specific positioning shift that gets you found by large...
-
682 - 82% of Tech Partners Are Not AI Ready Are You
Your clients keep asking you about AI, and you keep talking about tools. That's the problem. In this episode, I break down why most SaaS partners are giving away the most valuable conversation they could be having, AI readiness diagnosis, for free. I share Jay McBain's latest research showing 82%...
-
681 - Generalists Get Referrals Specialists Get Chosen
Your revenue is inconsistent and you already know why you haven't made the decision yet. In this episode, I break down the WHO problem most SaaS partners mistake for a skills problem, why serving more industries makes you the best option for no one, and the audit I run on every client's last…
more -
680 - The 28 Moments Your Clients Use to Choose Without You
You didn't lose that deal in the proposal. You lost it six months earlier, before the prospect ever found your name. In this episode, I break down why the buyer's journey for tech business owners has shifted, why AI is accelerating it, and why most owners are still showing up only at the last two...
-
679 - The LinkedIn Secret Filling Tech Business Owners' Calendars with Donald Kelly
Why you should listen Donald runs one of the top B2B sales podcasts in the world, heard in over 155 countries, and breaks down the exact LinkedIn-first sequence he uses to turn cold prospects into booked calls without paid ads or cold spam. Learn the three-step system Donald uses to move a…
more -
678 - 81% of Partners Will Grow Below the Industry Rate
Watched your vendor's share price lately, or noticed the quiet changes to partner fees, commissions, and cloud service minimums? In this episode, I break down why Wall Street is pricing in the collapse of the per-seat model, and why platforms restructure partner economics long before they touch...
-
677 - Hard work isn't your problem
Most tech business owners hitting mid-six figures aren't stuck because they're not working hard enough. They're stuck because they're running a business built on assumptions nobody has ever tested. In this episode, I walk through the exact audit I did on my own business when activity was high and...
-
676 - Why Your Voice Is the Only AI Tool That Matters With Molly Mahoney
Why you should listen Molly launched the world's first AI-focused content membership in 2021, two years before ChatGPT, and has generated content that reached over 39 million views. She brings hard-won perspective on what separates human-first AI strategy from AI zombie content that erodes trust....
-
675 - SaaS isn't dying. Your positioning might be.
Platform agnosticism made sense when software budgets were small. That era is ending. In this episode, I break down why the "death of SaaS" narrative is the wrong read, and why the tech business owners who believe it are about to miss the biggest software wave in a decade. I walk through what...
-
674 - AI Can't Give You a Blood Test
Using AI to diagnose your own business is like Googling your blood test results and treating yourself. In this episode, I share what seven years of post-transplant care taught me about pattern recognition, and why the same principle applies to the WHO and WHAT decisions most tech business owners...
-
673 - The 40-Minute Meeting That Makes or Breaks Your First Hire
Most tech consultants building their first team make the same mistake. It's not the hire. It's what happens on day one. In this episode, I walk through the exact 10-item induction call checklist I use with every new hire, whether they're based in the Philippines, Australia, or North America. I...
-
672 - Why Discipline Won't Fix Your Consulting Business
Working 60-hour weeks and still watching your revenue flatline? In this episode, I break down the two strategic decisions most tech consultants have never made: WHO to target and WHAT business model to run. I share how one consultant went from competing on commodity rates with payroll anxiety…
more -
671 - Why Your Clients Are Not Using the AI Tools You Recommended with Angie Carel
Why you should listen Angie scaled from an 18-year marketing agency to leading AI adoption for 600-person corporations, giving her a rare ground-level view of exactly where companies get stuck and what actually moves people from fear to fluency. Learn the "people-first" sequencing Angie now uses...
-
670 - Stop Chasing Small Clients
You're at mid six figures, your calendar is full, and you're still grinding for $20,000 projects. Meanwhile, there are enterprise and mid-market contacts sitting in your CRM right now who could write $200,000 checks, and you haven't called them because the small deals feel safer. In this episode…
more -
669 - The Pricing Gap Most Consultants Miss
Clients aren't pushing back on your rates, so you assume you're priced right. That's the most expensive assumption in consulting. In this episode, I break down how one consulting partner discovered she was leaving $55 to $95 per hour on the table because she priced based on confidence instead of...
-
668 - Stop Waiting for Salesforce Leads with Doug Pelletier
Why you should listen Doug Pelletier has spent 35 years winning enterprise accounts (Disney, Pfizer, Xerox) as a small Salesforce partner, proving that company size is irrelevant when your positioning and sales approach are right. Learn why Doug hired a General Manager at just six employees, and...
-
667 - The Land-and-Expand Play
You've landed a foothold in a big company, delivered a great project, the client loved it, so why are you still stuck in the same corner six months later winning the same small deals? In this episode, I break down why most consultants stay trapped in one department and how to turn a single…
more -
666 - The partner trap
Stuck at 50% of your revenue target because your pipeline depends on someone else's priorities? In this episode, I break down the partner program trap and why so many platform consultants stay dependent on AE referrals even when they know it's holding them back. I walk through the exact 12-month...
-
665 - AI Does 70% of the Work and Here’s What a Salesforce Partner Does With the Other 30 with Ferny Bengali
Why you should listen Ferny reveals how Sherpaneer uses AI across operations, from capacity planning models to proposal development, giving you a practical blueprint for integrating AI into your own consulting workflows. Learn how Ferny and her partner built a fully self-sourced pipeline through...
-
664 - Stop celebrating your referrals
Still relying on referrals and hoping the next one brings a decent project? In this episode, I break down why your referral strategy is actually killing your margins, not growing them. I share the pattern I see with over 200 tech consultants who are great at delivery but trapped in legacy…
more -
663 - The "Fake Productivity" Trap for Tech Consultants
Ever finish a 60-hour week and realize you didn't do a single thing to find better clients? In this episode, I break down why most tech consultants stay trapped in work that feels productive but actually keeps them stuck. I share the story of a client who was exhausted, in debt, and…
more -
662 - How to Build an AI Strategy That Actually Works with Christine Duque
Why you should listen Christine Duque, former Big Four consultant and CEO of Alonsera, shares why only 10% of global companies are seeing real impact from AI, and what separates the successful ones from the rest. Learn Christine's "Three A's" framework for making AI consumable: Automated,...
We're indexing this podcast's transcripts for the first time — this can take a minute or two. We'll show results as soon as they're ready.
No matches for "" in this podcast's transcripts.
No topics indexed yet for this podcast.
Loading reviews...
ABOUT THIS SHOW
The Paul Higgins Podcast interviews the SaaS partners and platform leaders building consistent, cash-generating businesses on Salesforce, HubSpot, Zoho, Microsoft, Monday, NetSuite, Acumatica, and more. Prior guests include Jay McBain (Chief Analyst, Channels, Partnerships & Ecosystems at Omdia, and Channel Influencer of the Year), Sarah McDevitt (HubSpot), Heather Black (Salesforce), Marty Zigman (NetSuite), Brett Martin (Zoho), Barry Doucette (Microsoft), Robin Alex (GoHighLevel), Yash Tekriwal (Clay), Laurence Fitch (Slack), Gareth Pronovost (Airtable), Nick Sonnenberg (Asana), and Alex MacKay (Tequity).Host Paul Higgins helps SaaS partners escape the trap of billable hours, five verticals, and platform dependence, and move from lumpy months to consistent, cash-generating months. For episodes, show notes, and free resources, head to paulhigginsmentoring.com.
HOSTED BY
Paul Higgins
CATEGORIES
Loading similar podcasts...
Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Paul Higgins Podcast have?
Paul Higgins Podcast currently has 300 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Paul Higgins Podcast about?
The Paul Higgins Podcast interviews the SaaS partners and platform leaders building consistent, cash-generating businesses on Salesforce, HubSpot, Zoho, Microsoft, Monday, NetSuite, Acumatica, and more. Prior guests include Jay McBain (Chief Analyst, Channels, Partnerships & Ecosystems at Omdia,...
How often does Paul Higgins Podcast release new episodes?
Paul Higgins Podcast publishes regularly with 300 episodes available. Check the episode list for the typical release schedule.
Where can I listen to Paul Higgins Podcast?
You can listen to Paul Higgins Podcast on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Paul Higgins Podcast?
Paul Higgins Podcast is created and hosted by Paul Higgins.
URL copied to clipboard!