The Exceptional Sales Leader Podcast

On the back of yesterday’s episode, I thought I would share some thoughts on becoming a mentor, and in helping to create a shortcut for others. Mentoring is a privilege and it certainly comes with responsibility, and not everyone is either open to it, or up to it. Hence, we must be very clear on why we would like to become a mentor. Would love your thoughts.

If you have followed me for a while, you know that I am passionate about leadership, coaching and mentoring, and firmly believe that as leaders, we must be constantly coaching, mentoring and developing. However, I’m staggered at the number of leaders who do not have a mentor, or do not seek a mentor. In today’s episode, I share some thoughts on the benefits of mentoring, as well as talk through the critical skills that a mentee must possess in order to get the best outcome from a mentoring relationship.

Like most sports loving fans around the world, I woke to the tragic news on Saturday morning that Shane Warne had tragically passed away. The sobering realisation as I tried to comprehend the news was that Shane was 52 years of age, only a year younger than me. I then reflected on the age when my father passed away – he was 54, & it prompted some significant reflection & thought over the weekend. One of the key questions I have been asking myself this weekend is ‘Am I living my life as if time is endless?’ which has also prompted reflections into my leadership development, coaching & mentoring, & whether I have been challenging my clients & their teams strongly enough. Experiencing a sudden shock like a death or significant change in circumstances can often prompt this reflective practice, however it does beg the question as to why. Why does it take an event such as this to create a ‘reality check’?

With bigger and bigger expectations being placed on leaders today, especially in sales, it is not uncommon for leaders to become almost robotic and clinical with their approach to either process or the numbers. And often the result is a team culture that lacks cohesion, lacks trust, and ultimately fails to deliver sustainable results. In today’s episode, I had a wonderful conversation with Mark LeBusque and we discuss why putting human back into leadership can deliver results in a sustainable way. To connect with Mark, go to: LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/marklebusque/ Website – https://marklebusque.com/

For many people, sales can be very challenging, carrying high expectations and being subjected to constant pressure to perform and deliver the numbers. Sales does not have to be complicated though, and as sales leaders, we have a big role to play in creating an environment that either enhances a level of complication or simplicity. When your sales team is behind target, where do you focus your attention? On the numbers, or on the process? Where do your senior executives focus their attention? If we want to drive sustainability and exceptional performance, it cannot be all about the numbers.

If you have been following me for a while, you would know that I absolutely love facilitating and coaching, interacting with people and helping them reach their full potential. And every so often I will have a workshop participant who is unsure, who lacks confidence, who externalises and perhaps does not take full responsibility for their actions. In this episode I discuss this, along with mindset, and reflect on a phenomenal quote ‘Your Greatest Fear’. Hopefully this serves you, and serves your team.

Another phenomenal conversation today, this time with Andy Paul, a very successful sales professional, Author, Podcaster, Speaker, and #8 on LinkedIn’s list of Top 50 Global Sales Experts. Andy’s approach to sales is counter intuitive, it goes against the ‘salesy’ mantra that many sales organisations across the world operate by, and through this approach, he has been incredibly successful. We discuss this as well as key concepts from his latest book, ‘Sell Without Selling Out’. Enjoy the conversation and let me know what the key takeouts were for you that will help you and your team move towards being exceptional. To connect with Andy, go to: Linkedin – https://www.linkedin.com/in/realandypaul/ Website – https://www.andypaul.com/ Email – [email protected] To order his book, go to https://www.amazon.com/Sell-Without-Selling-Out-Success/dp/1989603572//

Irrespective of where you are currently in your leadership career, you are on a Hero’s Journey. You will encounter obstacles, you will be invited to enter a new world and refuse the call. You will meet mentors along the way who will help guide you and prepare you for your greatest challenge, and each step is a necessary step in your development. In today’s episode, I had a phenomenal conversation with Paul Glover, a man who has fully embraced his Hero’s Journey, who has experienced some very tough challenges, and has tapped into the lessons from those challenges and is now paying it forward, helping executives and business owners unleash their potential and embrace their own Hero’s Journey. I’m sure you will gain significant value from the gold that Paul shares. To connect with Paul, please go to: Website – www.paulglovercoaching.com Email – [email protected] LinkedIn – Paul Glover

In my experience, many sales leaders focus very heavily on process, the mechanics of sales. Driving the behaviours that will deliver the results, and this is definitely required. Why is it then that many teams are not achieving their potential – where you can have 2 teams of equal talent and equal opportunity, and yet one achieves amazing results and the other team flounders? It comes down to a powerful and yet easy to overlook element.

Sales leadership is not for everyone – it comes with great responsibility, great ambiguity & complexity, challenges and opportunity. We are all products of our environment which often results in sales people being promoted into sales leadership roles & the only model they have to follow is their sales manager & what they have seen in the environment. Hence the focus is on the hard and tangible kpi’s – monthly sales quotas, number of emails sent, number of calls made, number of presentations delivered, conversion conversations had. This can become very inward focused, self focused, and result in pushing behaviour. There is a better way.

As a leader, are you expecting your team to take risks and push the envelope, and yet you are operating quite conservatively? In other words, you don’t take risks and push the envelope? I see this often – the sales leader sets the expectation, encourages their team to take affirmative action, and yet when mistakes are made, instead of celebrating them, they chastise and criticise. It is as if they want the great results, but do not want to go through the ‘process’ in order to get them. Sales leaders who adopt this approach stifle the growth and development of their team. They build a team of people who second guess themselves, don’t take risks, and seek perfection rather than progress, because of the perceived ramifications of ‘failure’. It is a self fulfilling prophecy, where results are mediocre at best and the team is barely engaged. Exceptional leaders accept that ‘failure’ is a key ingredient to success. Without making mistakes, there can be no real progress.

Following on from yesterday’s podcast where I discussed leading upwards and developing the courage to have the conversation, I thought that I would delve a little deeper into what I believe is at the heart of curiosity. And this skillset is something that all sales people and sales leaders can continue to improve in, and when they do, it can exponentially improve not only their confidence, but often their outcomes.

As a Sales Leader, there are many times when targets and kpi’s are distributed, policies are implemented, and objectives changed – all of which can leave you scratching your head & potentially feeling disempowered. The company, and the senior leaders have simply made the decision and often made promises to the market. Whether we like it or not, it is part of the game. How we deal with it though, is up to us. Exceptional leaders understand that leading is not just about leading their team, it is also about leading upwards. And this is what I explore in today’s episode.

Why did you become a leader? If you are not a leader today, but have aspirations to become a leader, why? When I ask that question of leaders, many of them do not have a genuine or specific answer. For many leaders, especially sales leaders, it can be the allure of ‘rock star’ status – having the position, the influence, the power, and having a massive following of raving fans, worshipping their every move. We don’t want that, as it is not sustainable. Exceptional leaders focus on something else, and that is what I cover in today’s episode.

In working with leaders, I often get the opportunity to observe them in action and it is really interesting the wide spectrum of reactions and responses to situations I observe. Some are as cool as a cucumber, whilst others are hot heads, going off the deep end based on the slightest trigger. As leaders, we must continue to understand that our team is a reflection of us, and therefore we must be significantly more conscious of how we respond to situations, because we are being watched like a hawk. In this episode, I share a simple yet powerful technique that can assist leaders be significantly more measured in their responses.

In working with Leaders and their teams, it is fascinating to observe the number of people who see themselves as being highly emotionally intelligent, and yet their behaviour indicates there are significant gaps. In today’s episode, I discuss the 4 categories of Emotional Intelligence, based on the work of Daniel Goleman, and then delve into the one skillset that I believe will elevate your influence more than anything else. It may sound easy, but it is certainly not easy to do for many people.

If there is one trait or attribute in sales that we must get really good at, it is learning to be more self sufficient. I am staggered at the number of people who either get everything handed to them, or expect everything to be handed to them. As sales leaders, we must be very conscious of the environment we are creating and maintaining, especially if that environment is one of co-dependency. This is what I explore in today’s episode.

Over the weekend we lost a legend in the personal development industry, Bob Proctor. I first came across Bob’s work in the early 2000’s, and I admit, from day 1, I was hooked. Whether through his books, training programs, or his video messages, he continued to promote growth mindset, a focus on abundance and possibility thinking. Much of the philosophies that I live & lead by today can be directly attributed to Bob’s work. For that, I am eternally grateful. Bob never set out to create a legacy. If you listen to his story, he was working in a firehouse, just trying to make ends meet, when he met a man who would change his life forever – Ray Stanford. Ray handed Bob a book, Napoleon Hill’s ‘Think And Grow Rich’. Not only did the book lead Bob to change his thinking about what was possible for his own life, it lead him on an Odyssey that would see Bob become one of the most revered and sought after personal development educators and leaders in the world. Bob made it his life’s work to teach & inspire others to do more, and become more. Millions of people have been positively impacted by his work. So what does this have to do with us as Sales Leaders? Everything!

There were a number of situations that took place this week where people, both individually and collectively, were allocating blame to external things to justify their position or their behaviour. And in nearly every one of those situations, emotions were high and the results were not great. In today’s episode I share a very simple, yet powerful model, that enables us to maintain a higher degree of control, and therefore create the opportunity to deliver an alternative result. Would love your feedback.

On today’s episode, I have the privilege of speaking with Art Harding, Chief Operating Officer at People.ai about sales and sales leadership in the digital age. Art has travelled a different pathway to most sales leaders and presents a very powerful perspective on what exceptional sales leadership looks like today and into the future. Some of the key topics we discuss include: How data & information leads to the role of the sales person being even more important Sales leadership challenges in the digital age The importance of real time feedback and coaching The modern sales ecosystem The power of simplification Identifying the metrics that matter Establishing the true baseline 3 key areas sales leaders should be focused on It is a great episode for all sales leaders and aspiring sales leaders and is packed full of value. To connect with Art, please go to: https://www.linkedin.com/in/arharding/ https://people.ai Email – [email protected]

In speaking with a number of clients over the last few days, it has become evident that some of them are trying to implement too much, too quickly. The weight of expectation is so great that they get caught up in a perpetual cycle of doing, which ultimately leads to inconsistent results and in may cases, overwhelm. Many of them are trying to boil the ocean and wondering why the temperature isn’t changing. We need to do something different.

Irrespective of whether you are a tennis fan or not, we have witnessed a true champion in Ash Barty over the last 2 weeks at the Australian Open. She has handled herself with grace, poise, humility and dignity throughout the entire tournament, despite the huge pressure of expectation sitting on her shoulders. And even though she expressed a level of emotion when she won the title, she has maintained a level of calmness and certainty that has only increased her popularity. It goes without saying that Ash is a very very talented tennis player and she is totally dedicated to her craft, constantly looking to improve. But talent only takes us so far. What separates champions from their competition is the meticulous planning and formulation of a game plan that works, followed by relentless execution. Champions stick to the game plan and their is a huge lesson here for sales leaders.

The environment I operated in when I was an individual contributor sales person, was very much a perfection focused environment – every conversation was geared around the sales target and performance to date against the sales target. Very macro type conversations, and often the leaders were absent, only being visible when the conversation on year to date performance needed to be had. The modern sales leader must be different, and thankfully, this is starting to change – where the sales leader is now focusing more of their attention on progress, rather than perfection.

I love working with people who enjoy stretching & challenging themselves & their team, always aware that there is another level of performance to reach. If we look at exceptional performers, every single one of them have incredible belief, almost, unshakeable belief in their ability to achieve their outcomes. And this rubs off on their team, as the team is always a reflection of the leader. On the flip side, leaders and teams who are not achieving their desired outcomes tend to have a different set of beliefs, which are not helpful.

My very first Sales Manager, Gordon Smith, used this phrase all the time – ‘Many a Mickle Makes a Muckle’. In other words, he would have us focus on the small things that needed to be done each and every day so as to create the opportunity of being successful. He was about developing success habits. As Leaders, this is incredibly important, because for us to create sustainable and replicable success, we must get good at the small things. Because how we do the small things is how we do everything.

Over the last 6 months, we have seen the ‘Great Resignation’, where people have decided that they would like a fresh start and for many, without a role to go to, have resigned from their existing role. The pandemic has had a big impact on people’s work habits and what is important to them, and for many organisations and leaders, it has been challenging to adapt. As we move forward into 2022, change will continue and as leaders, we must be even more adaptable, and be conscious of the leadership impression we are creating and what environment we are maintaining. And there is a specific question that we must be asking ourselves constantly.

Today marks a very important milestone, and one that I am very proud of – the 400th episode of The Exceptional Sales Leader Podcast. Back in April 2020 when I recorded the first episode, I thought that if I can get to 50 episodes, I would be doing exceptionally well. To be sitting down today to record episode 400, knowing that the message is heard in over 55 countries by thousands of people, is extremely humbling. I’m very grateful for the opportunity that podcasting presents, and will continue to focus my attention on adding as much value as I can to sales leaders and aspiring leaders around the world. In today’s episode, I reflect back on 6 key lessons I have learned over the journey so far. I trust that this is of value to you.

It is very frustrating to see people who are highly capable, who possess great potential, remain stuck, and unable to achieve the results they say they want to achieve. It is almost like these people are waiting for their ducks to line up, for conditions to be ‘perfect’, and for success to be guaranteed, before taking action. This never happens. As leaders, we must develop a bias towards action as our team expects us to lead from the front, and must be committed to taking definitive and decision action, irrespective of how we feel. Great leaders embrace this – If Not Now, Then When?

January is a great time of year – a time where people set New Year’s resolutions, powerful intentions and hopes for the new year. Unfortunately though most do not follow through with actions that are aligned with these intentions, and hence are destined to achieve very similar results to the previous year. Exceptional performers are different. They understand the key to supercharging results and they make this a priority.

As leaders, we have a lot of responsibility and accountability, and sometimes if can feel overwhelming, juggling tasks/projects and challenges, and with the team and senior leaders expecting quick results. We can be so focused on solutions that we forget the impressions we create in the eyes of other people, which can impact our personal brand. One key thing we must understand is that we are always being watched.

In working with Sales Leaders, one of the key attributes that separates the exceptional leaders from their peers, is their approach to feedback. Exceptional leaders are feedback machines, period. They seek opportunities to source feedback and find opportunities to provide feedback, and are willing to do so, irrespective of how they feel. Are you a feedback machine?

A quick follow on from the 2 previous podcast episodes – in speaking with a number of leaders, many of them have asked what specific areas they should be focusing on so as to create a fast start to the year, and to stack the odds in their favour to make some tremendous progress. In this episode I provide some thought prompters and ideas as to what you could be doing in the following 3 categories – 1) Stop 2) Start 3) Maintain.

Happy New Year – welcome to 2022 and what a year this promises to be. The great opportunity that sits in front of all of us is that we get the opportunity to write the script. Irrespective of what happened in 2021, we all get to start again, and as long as there are a few key foundations laid, we can set ourselves and our team up for 2022 to be the most excpetional year yet. It is up to us. Let’s get going.

As we wind up for the 2021 year, I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for plugging into The Exceptional Sales Leader Podcast. It has been a challenging, exciting and fulfilling year in 2021, and I am very grateful for the opportunities I have been afforded this year, and very grateful to be able to bring this podcast to you. Wishing you and your family a Very Merry Christmas and may 2022 be your most exceptional year yet.

As we approach the final days of 2021, it is the perfect time to dedicate quality time to reflection and recovery. When we study elite performers, whether they be individuals or teams, we will discover that they dedicate specific time to reflection & recovery. Analysing their performance across 2021 – looking at what they did well so they can identify positive habits and build higher levels of performance around those habits. They also identify gaps and areas that are not yet elite, but through practice and application, will give themselves an opportunity to get to the elite level. This is what separates exceptional leaders from their competition.

The more I work with leaders and their teams, the more I realise the critical importance of being very specific on who is in your corner. Much of the work I do with leaders is around Emotional Intelligence, specifically on self awareness and social awareness, and in the process, it still amazes me that the gravitational pull of the tribe is so strong, and very difficult to resist. It is therefore critical that we ask ourselves direct questions as to who is in our corner and who we will allow in our corner.

In working with sales leaders and their teams for many years now, I’m staggered at the number of individuals, whether it be sales people, or in some cases, sales leaders, who search for the easy road – the shortcut. Many of them expect instant results and will often only apply ‘token efforts’ to achieve results. And when the ideal results are not forthcoming, they will look to external forces to justify the outcome. No matter what industry you look at, or what role within that industry, both ‘success’ and ‘failure’ leaves clues. And it is the astute individual who will be a student, who will observe and ask curious based questions, who will search for and analyse those clues, and who will tap into the one force which separates exceptional performers from everyone else – excellence.

A common theme with clients and potential clients this week – individuals unfortunately getting caught up in self fulfilling conversations and thought processes, all geared around not being good enough. Unfortunately most of us tend to believe negative things about ourselves before we contemplate more positive attributes, which is not helped by how the media and advertisers portray people. Today’s message is all about being the very best you you can be. Because that is more than enough.

If there is one thing to come out of the last 20 months it is that change is constant and it is inevitable. Whilst we may not necessarily be able to control it, as Leaders we must embrace it, as our teams are relying on us to lead them through any change cycle and create an environment of certainty. The key therefore for Leaders is to understand and face into change, and lead the team forward, looking at what opportunities the change presents.

The more I work with leaders and their teams, the more I’m convinced that our team is and always will be a reflection of us as leaders. Some leaders have no idea – it is almost like the blind leading the blind. They are dysfunctional, they do not operate as a team, and they certainly do not generate great results. Functional leaders are intentional, they have their head screwed on and they are emotionally intelligent.

If you have been in sales for any length of time, you would have come across the slick sales person and sales leader – constantly operating with a sense of urgency and focusing on closing, closing, closing. Whilst they are hungry to get the deals done, they also have more of a short term focus, almost instant gratification. If the deal can’t be closed today, it won’t be closed at all – move onto the next deal. And how does this make the potential customer feel? Potentially like a pawn in the salespersons game, and unlikely to seek to engage in the future. There is a different way and there is a better way.

In today’s episode, I had the privilege of chatting with my great friend & colleague, Ezio Mormile. Ezio is a Mindset, Leadership & Performance Coach at Performing Teams, working with elite sporting organisations and large corporations, helping them unleash their potential for elite performance. He has extensive experience in sales and sales leadership and the principles he covers in this episode can not only enable sales leaders to drive higher levels of sales performance, there are also nuggets of gold for salespeople & individual contributors searching for the keys to exceptional performance. To connect with Ezio, simply send him an email at [email protected]

Sales Culture is everything – when you have 2 identical teams or equal talent, and with equal opportunity in front of them, it is the team with the more engaged and more exceptional culture, that will win, always. I often say that says culture eats sales strategy for breakfast every day, and it is true. Only when a high performing and highly engaged culture is in place, can a sales strategy be fully realised.

If you are new to sales leadership, congratulations, and welcome to the starting gates, or the bottom rung of the ladder as my General Manager said to me on my very first day as a sales leader. You have obviously been identified as a person who has leadership potential. One of the first questions to ask yourself as a new leader is this ‘ why should anyone listen to you?’ Just because you have the leadership title and position, does not guarantee you leadership success. I delve into this in today’s topic. A must listen for all new sales leaders, as well as sales leaders who have been in the game for a while.

As a sales leader, where is your focus right now? Is it on the past or is it on the future? Many leaders, especially in corporate, spend far too much time on the past – analysing it, investigating it forensically, and often will use that to criticise departments and people for past performance. A great way to build a high performing culture! Great leaders and great organisations will define reality based on the past, but they will not wallow in the past. They understand that the windscreen is big for a reason!

If there is one thing that frustrates me more than anything else with many sales leaders, it is this – their relentless pursuit of perfection, hitting the number and avoiding mistakes. Sales leaders who pursue this unwittingly create environments where their team avoid risks, they play the easier & safer game, and will always seek the path of least resistance. They also lack resilience, tenacity and innovation. If we are to become exceptional sales leaders, leading exceptional teams and driving sustainable results, we must change the approach. We must embrace mistakes.

The responsibility on leaders today has never been greater. The way we lead in 2021 is different to the way the we were led in 1999, and even though many leadership principles stand the test of time, the essence of leadership and what is required of leaders has changed and the expectations placed upon leaders are only increasing. One of these key expectations is around inclusivity.

A great privilege this week to work with a visionary leader and their team on helping to create team alignment. Many teams do not spend enough time thinking about what they stand for, what’s important to them, and then identifying the core behaviours that will drive the team forward, and enable them to deliver exceptional results. The teams that do though, create a unique team alignment, and this enables them to differentiate themselves from their competition and deliver exceptional results.