The Exceptional Sales Leader Podcast

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.