The Sales Evangelist

4 Steps to Systematic Sales Growth Salespeople and business owners employ different strategies to achieve sales growth. In this episode, Jimmy Burgess talks about steps to systematic sales growth. Jimmy has been in real estate for 27 years and the years have let him experience all the different marketing cycles. He was able to build a time and had over a million dollars income in a year and he’s also experienced bankruptcy with just $500 to his name. He is now with Berkshire Hathaway Homeservices Beach Properties and starting his own podcast show. Systematic Sales Growth Systematic sales growth can be achieved by either doing more of what you’re doing at the moment or trying new things. The whole business pattern is about birth, growth, maturity, and decline. Businesses need to look for more ways to add value to the market and ensure that people will come back to you. Competence Jimmy talks about ABL or always be learning. Build competence by learning new things to improve the business. Look at your weak spots in the business and learn more about it, become the expert in it. Get to the point where you are able to understand the business, the products and services more than anybody else. There are somany learning materials available in it’s a matter of discipline to get to where you want to be. Repetition builds reputation Consistency of providing value to the marketplace is where you build the confidence that the buyer has in you as the person selling the product. It’s now the perfect time to use videos and send video updates to a client base. The consistency helps in building your reputation. Once you build your reputation, your next goal is to keep communicating with people and have a referral basis. Find your systematic approach to consistency and providing value to the clients. Even when the whirlwind comes, you still need to stay consistent. Conversations lead to conversions You can send videos and post all posts in social media but at the end of the day, people do business with people. Salespeople need to connect, to have conversations, and ask questions. You need to get out there and find out how you can help others. Figure out their needs, their pain points, and you won't be able to do that without having the conversation. Confidence The first phone call will always be difficult but if you are confident, you will be able to answer the questions asked. It is critically important now to invest in yourself. Keep learning and connect with people. “4 Steps to Systematic Sales Growth” episode resources Connect with Jimmy Burgess via his Facebook and LinkedIn account. He also has his own website and podcast show. Speak with Donald directly for more sales talks. Reach him via these channels: LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook about any sales concerns. Try Pipedrive today for FREE! As a TSE listener, PipeDrive is offering you an EXTEND trial beyond the typical 30 days + 25% off your first three months after trial. Try it today at → https://pipedrive.live/tse use your code: pipedrivetse. This course is brought to you in part by TSE Certified Sales Training Program. It’s a course designed to help new and struggling sellers to master the fundamentals of sales and close more deals. It will help them elevate their sales game. Sign up now and get the first two modules for free! You can go and visit www.thesalesevangelist.com/closemoredeals also call us at (561) 570-5077. We’d love for you to join us for our next episodes so tune in on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, and Spotify. You can also leave comments, suggestions, and ratings to every episode you listen to. You can also read more about sales or listen to audiobooks on Audible and explore this huge online library. Register now to get a free book and a 30-day free trial. Audio provided by Free SFX and Bensound. Other songs used in the episodes are as follows: The Organ Grinder written by Bradley Jay Hill, performed by Bright Seed, and Produced by Brightseed and Hill.Mentioned in this episode:HubSpot and bluëmago | STUDIOSHubSpot and bluëmago | STUDIOS hubpspot.com/marketers bluemangostudios.com

Three Skills to Help You Overcome Objections Being in sales, there needs to be a level of optimism but objections are also part of the process. How do you handle objections? Alison started her career in the human resources field before she jumped into entrepreneurship. She tried building her own business four times but failed each time. It was her fifth try in 2019 that she became a success. Skills to overcome objections Alison has 3 C’s to guide her in being successful in sales: Clarity, confidence, and connection. Clarity starts with customer discovery. It’s in this stage that prospects are able to share their needs and sales reps are able to define how they can be part of the solution. Objections often fall under three categories - budget, time, and necessity. Prospects either don’t have resources to proceed, don’t have the time to engage, or they have no need for the product or service. When you’re clear where their objections fall, you’ll have a better understanding about how to overcome these obstacles. Clarity is also about building rapport. Japanese scientist Masaru Emoto’s book Hidden Messages in Water talked about how spoken words can impact water molecules. In a video, he shows how the shape of these water molecules can reflect negative and positive speech that’s been spoken over these samples. In the same way, well-spoken words can also make a positive impact. Confidence is also tied to clarity. Words can make or break a person’s esteem and interest. Use positive words and fuel optimism. The connection is important in overcoming the objection. Connection is about letting a prospect know that you are listening and want to help them with their problem. Connecting comes from asking deeper questions. Clarity, confidence, and connection are skills that can start with the sales call. “Three Skills to Help You Overcome Objections” episode resources Connect with Alison Proffit via LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook. You can also check out her website here. Alison has a Free Energy of Sales 3 mini-course that you can get as well! Speak with Donald directly for more sales talks. Reach him via these channels: LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook about any sales concerns. Try Pipedrive today for FREE! As a TSE listener, PipeDrive is offering you an EXTEND trial beyond the typical 30 days + 25% off your first three months after trial. Try it today at → https://pipedrive.live/tse use your code: pipedrivetse. This course is brought to you in part by TSE Certified Sales Training Program. It’s a course designed to help new and struggling sellers to master the fundamentals of sales and close more deals. It will help them elevate their sales game. Sign up now and get the first two modules for free! You can go and visit www.thesalesevangelist.com/closemoredeals also call us at (561) 570-5077. We’d love for you to join us for our next episodes so tune in on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, and Spotify. You can also leave comments, suggestions, and ratings to every episode you listen to. You can also read more about sales or listen to audiobooks on Audible and explore this huge online library. Register now to get a free book and a 30-day free trial. Audio provided by Free SFX and Bensound. Other songs used in the episodes are as follows: The Organ Grinder written by Bradley Jay Hill, performed by Bright Seed, and Produced by Brightseed and Hill.Mentioned in this episode:HubSpot and bluëmago | STUDIOSHubSpot and bluëmago | STUDIOS hubpspot.com/marketers bluemangostudios.com

How Recognizing Intent Signals Can Help Overcome Objections Objections are common in sales but many struggle with knowing how to overcome them well. Today’s guest will talk about recognizing intent signals as a tool to overcome objections. Ernest Owusu leads a sales team at 6sense, an account-based orchestration platform that helps companies identify when an organization needs their help in prioritizing and engaging with them in a meaningful way. Ernest leads their SDR and BDR team. Intent signals defined Intent signals are interactions, like digital interactions, with a prospective company, or even one person, that is an indicator that they want to have a conversation with you. The intent is an interest in either you, your competitors, or your industry. It tells you they are interested and you can engage. COVID-19 has become one of the most common objections that salespeople face today. The budget objection won’t come from a company that shows intent in the offered solution. Salespeople can overcome objections by focusing on the accounts that show intent. Ernest’s company uses keywords and value cards to see and gauge intent. Understanding the intent to overcome objections Buyers have changed and everyone now does research before deciding to purchase. It’s more efficient to see this intent and have the tools to gauge the prospects’ reasons for visiting your site before an approach. The sooner you identify these prospects, the sooner you can target the accounts. You can use sales engagement tools with the ability to track clicks. It also helps to engage in constant repetitive practice, role playing and right or wrong, being familiar with your strategy. “How Recognizing Intent Signals Can Help Overcome Objections” episode resources Reach out to Ernest Owusu via his LinkedIn account. Speak with Donald directly for more sales talks. Reach him via these channels: LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook about any sales concerns. Try Pipedrive today for FREE! As a TSE listener, PipeDrive is offering you an EXTEND trial beyond the typical 30 days + 25% off your first three months after trial. Try it today at → https://pipedrive.live/tse use your code: pipedrivetse. This course is brought to you in part by TSE Certified Sales Training Program. It’s a course designed to help new and struggling sellers to master the fundamentals of sales and close more deals. It will help them elevate their sales game. Sign up now and get the first two modules for free! You can go and visit www.thesalesevangelist.com/closemoredeals also call us at (561) 570-5077. We’d love for you to join us for our next episodes so tune in on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, and Spotify. You can also leave comments, suggestions, and ratings to every episode you listen to. You can also read more about sales or listen to audiobooks on Audible and explore this huge online library. Register now to get a free book and a 30-day free trial. Audio provided by Free SFX and Bensound. Other songs used in the episodes are as follows: The Organ Grinder written by Bradley Jay Hill, performed by Bright Seed, and Produced by Brightseed and Hill.Mentioned in this episode:HubSpot and bluëmago | STUDIOSHubSpot and bluëmago | STUDIOS hubpspot.com/marketers bluemangostudios.com

Vulnerability - The Key to Landing More Sales Appointments In 2020 The key to surviving this year’s pandemic is being vulnerable. Donald explains the reason why in this episode. Donald was talking to another gentleman about his experiences during the pandemic and asked how he was coping and making sure the family was doing well. This man could have skirted the issue but he didn’t. He told the truth and said that the situation isn’t going great. While it isn’t going great for everybody, few people will share the areas they are suffering from. This conversation affected Donald and it allowed him to connect with the person on a human level, not just a professional one. Having a deeper conversation opened up a more meaningful dialogue and an opportunity for more conversations in the future. The vulnerability of this gentleman allowed him and Donald to talk more honestly with each other. They were able to share their experiences and challenges through this pandemic in a more authentic way. Vulnerability in sales Vulnerability is opening up to someone with the possibility of being attacked or harmed and for many people, it can be a scary place to be. Keep in mind, being vulnerable shouldn’t be confused with being desperate. Human beings are social creatures. We genuinely need to be heard and being vulnerable allows us to say what we need others to hear. It fast tracks a deeper conversation. When you’re dealing with prospects, try to be vulnerable without being desperate. It involves being real and honest from the onset of the conversation. Look for opportunities to have a deeper exchange and let them know you want to connect. “Vulnerability - The Key to Landing More Sales Appointments In 2020” episode resources Speak with Donald directly for more sales talks. Reach him via these channels: LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook about any sales concerns. Try Pipedrive today for FREE! As a TSE listener, PipeDrive is offering you an EXTEND trial beyond the typical 30 days + 25% off your first three months after trial. Try it today at → https://pipedrive.live/tse use your code: pipedrivetse. This course is brought to you in part by TSE Certified Sales Training Program. It’s a course designed to help new and struggling sellers to master the fundamentals of sales and close more deals. It will help them elevate their sales game. Sign up now and get the first two modules for free! You can go and visit www.thesalesevangelist.com/closemoredeals also call us at (561) 570-5077. We’d love for you to join us for our next episodes so tune in on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, and Spotify. You can also leave comments, suggestions, and ratings to every episode you listen to. You can also read more about sales or listen to audiobooks on Audible and explore this huge online library. Register now to get a free book and a 30-day free trial. Audio provided by Free SFX and Bensound. Other songs used in the episodes are as follows: The Organ Grinder written by Bradley Jay Hill, performed by Bright Seed, and Produced by Brightseed and Hill.Mentioned in this episode:HubSpot and bluëmago | STUDIOSHubSpot and bluëmago | STUDIOS hubpspot.com/marketers bluemangostudios.com

The Top Three Issues Killing Your Sales Deals Are your sales suffering because your deals are getting cut off? In this episode we will address some of the issues that can kill deals. George Bronten is the founder and CEO of Membrain.com, a sales enablement CRM. Things killing your sales deals Even before the pandemic, assumptions are one of the reasons why deals get killed. Salespeople make decisions based on assumptions and with sales being a very broad profession, it involves a lot of processes and complex solutions. Because it can be complex, you can’t make decisions based just on a “type” of person or solution. This can lead to wrong conclusions. Many salespeople think they’re disciplined people but they may not be consistent. True discipline isn’t a one-time thing. It has to be repeated daily. Selling is about helping someone improve their situation. This means you don’t have to sell to everyone, but you do want to offer help. People are rational and emotional beings. Sales reps may be complicating their sales process without meaning to. It’s best to slow down and look at the problem. It’s important to know what you want to accomplish in order for that goal to guide your steps. Keep learning For sales reps to keep evolving, you must continue learning the new information that comes out. Ask questions if you don’t understand the information you need to be successful. A little vulnerability is effective. Keep it simple and look for just one or two things that you can improve and start from there. Identify the one thing that’s holding your sales back and fix it. “The Top Three Issues Killing Your Sales Deals” episode resources Connect with George Bronten via his LinkedIn account. Check out George’s book, Stop Killing Deals: How to avoid deadly assumptions and achieve sales excellence. Speak with Donald directly for more sales talks. Reach him via these channels: LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook about any sales concerns. Try Pipedrive today for FREE! As a TSE listener, PipeDrive is offering you an EXTEND trial beyond the typical 30 days + 25% off your first three months after trial. Try it today at → https://pipedrive.live/tse use your code: pipedrivetse. This course is brought to you in part by TSE Certified Sales Training Program. It’s a course designed to help new and struggling sellers to master the fundamentals of sales and close more deals. It will help them elevate their sales game. Sign up now and get the first two modules for free! You can go and visit www.thesalesevangelist.com/closemoredeals also call us at (561) 570-5077. We’d love for you to join us for our next episodes so tune in on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, and Spotify. You can also leave comments, suggestions, and ratings to every episode you listen to. You can also read more about sales or listen to audiobooks on Audible and explore this huge online library. Register now to get a free book and a 30-day free trial. Audio provided by Free SFX and Bensound. Other songs used in the episodes are as follows: The Organ Grinder written by Bradley Jay Hill, performed by Bright Seed, and Produced by Brightseed and Hill.Mentioned in this episode:HubSpot and bluëmago | STUDIOSHubSpot and bluëmago | STUDIOS hubpspot.com/marketers bluemangostudios.com

Important Business Lessons You Can Apply Across All Areas of Life A successful business learns from what it experiences, either through its own history or the history of others. Let’s talk about some of the important business lessons you can apply in all areas of life. Kevin Harrington is an entrepreneur and a mentor. He’s worked with celebrities who have become entrepreneurs and with his help, they have been able to achieve success. Mark Timm is also an entrepreneur and they met through their mutual mentor, Zig Ziglar. The pandemic has impacted businesses of all sizes. These have been challenging months but this has also been a learning curve for Kevin. Kevin’s aggressive curiosity allowed him to start his career and it has sustained him to this day. He succeeds by watching where people begin and how they get to their destinations. The importance of mentors, the right pitch, and a great mindset Having the right kind of operational and finance team is imperative to help growth but Kevin also realized the importance of having a mentor, the experts, and leaders you want to emulate and follow. As a salesperson, the right pitch is also going to serve you well. Kevin uses the tease, please, and seize strategy: Sales reps tease the prospects with just enough information to get their attention, please them by solving their problems, and seize the close by offering a deal they can’t refuse. The right mindset is the foundation of success. You will face different obstacles and circumstances and attain different levels of success, but how far you go begins with what you think. You can fortify your mindset by what you choose to learn. It’s why reading consistently is so critical. Sales require on-going education. The more you learn, the better your grasp what the business of prospecting, selling and closing is all about. “Important Business Lessons You Can Apply Across All Areas of Life” episode resources Connect with Kevin Harrington and Mark Timm via their LinkedIn accounts. Check out the book, Mentor to Millions as well! Speak with Donald directly for more sales talks. Reach him via these channels: LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook about any sales concerns. Try Pipedrive today for FREE! As a TSE listener, PipeDrive is offering you an EXTEND trial beyond the typical 30 days + 25% off your first three months after trial. Try it today at → http://go.thoughtleaders.io/1988320200907 or use your code: pipedrivetse. This course is brought to you in part by TSE Certified Sales Training Program. It’s a course designed to help new and struggling sellers to master the fundamentals of sales and close more deals. It will help them elevate their sales game. Sign up now and get the first two modules for free! You can go and visit www.thesalesevangelist.com/closemoredeals also call us at (561) 570-5077. We’d love for you to join us for our next episodes so tune in on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, and Spotify. You can also leave comments, suggestions, and ratings to every episode you listen to. You can also read more about sales or listen to audiobooks on Audible and explore this huge online library. Register now to get a free book and a 30-day free trial. Audio provided by Free SFX and Bensound. Other songs used in the episodes are as follows: The Organ Grinder written by Bradley Jay Hill, performed by Bright Seed, and Produced by Brightseed and Hill.Mentioned in this episode:HubSpot and bluëmago | STUDIOSHubSpot and bluëmago | STUDIOS hubpspot.com/marketers bluemangostudios.com

Will B2B Sales Be Impacted by The Elections? The presidential election of 2020 is coming. The question is, will this impact B2B sales? Let’s talk about that in this episode. An article published in NewNorth stated that the political season impacts B2B sales but it depends on the industry and the type of customers you’re looking for. Studies have shown that multi-million dollar organizations tend to be less shy during the election. The large organizations expand because they have more consumers, stockholders, and others that have a stake in the success of the company. They have the ability to make more solid predictions and see the bigger picture. They determine how the elected leaders will affect the organization. The election is different for the mid-sized companies as they aren’t immediately impacted by the results. This is also true for smaller companies. For sales reps, you may have more challenges in the time of the election. Brandon Julio, a professor at the London Business School said that during elections, firms reduce their investment expenditures by an average of 4.8%. Companies try to reduce expenditures but they continue to make investments. Preparing for it The B2B market doesn't have to feel the strain of an election year. First, sellers must have the proper mindset. This isn’t the end of the world and the impact may not be felt for a long time. Second, ensure that your company is prepared. Evaluate your sales pipeline and look into your CRM. Third, look at the fourth quarter every year. The book, The 12-week year, focuses on how companies tend to do well during the fourth fiscal quarter. The last thing is to plant seeds by building relationships whenever possible. “Will B2B Sales Be Impacted by The Elections?” episode resources Speak with Donald directly for more sales talks. Reach him via these channels: LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook about any sales concerns. Speak with Donald directly for more sales talks. Reach him via these channels: LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook about any sales concerns. Try Pipedrive today for FREE! As a TSE listener, PipeDrive is offering you an EXTEND trial beyond the typical 30 days + 25% off your first three months after trial. Try it today at → http://go.thoughtleaders.io/1988320200907 or use your code: pipedrivetse. This course is brought to you in part by TSE Certified Sales Training Program. It’s a course designed to help new and struggling sellers to master the fundamentals of sales and close more deals. It will help them elevate their sales game. Sign up now and get the first two modules for free! You can go and visit www.thesalesevangelist.com/closemoredeals also call us at (561) 570-5077. We’d love for you to join us for our next episodes so tune in on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, and Spotify. You can also leave comments, suggestions, and ratings to every episode you listen to. You can also read more about sales or listen to audiobooks on Audible and explore this huge online library. Register now to get a free book and a 30-day free trial. Audio provided by Free SFX and Bensound. Other songs used in the episodes are as follows: The Organ Grinder written by Bradley Jay Hill, performed by Bright Seed, and Produced by Brightseed and Hill.Mentioned in this episode:HubSpot and bluëmago | STUDIOSHubSpot and bluëmago | STUDIOS hubpspot.com/marketers bluemangostudios.com

How to Reach Decision-Makers When Selling to Enterprises When selling, we want to talk to the decision makers but how do you reach them in order to qualify them as a prospect? Let’s talk about that in this episode. Erik Kostelnik is the CEO of Postal.io, a sales marketing engagement platform that generates leads, increases sales, and improves customer retention by optimizing offline engagement and interactions. Challenges in reaching out to decision makers There have always been obstacles in selling; however, in the last 20 years, it has gotten a lot noisier due to sales and marketing automation. As a result, it has become more difficult to grab the attention of potential clients. People are just overrun by messages and have become desensitized. You need to be different if you want to interrupt this massive flow of data to the decision-makers. How to reach decision makers Historically we have operated on “five touches” to get to a yes or a no response. Operating within these parameters, sales reps standardized the workflow with these five touches in mind. The number of touches has increased, however, due to the volume of people trying to do the same things. It’s become even harder to get a hold of decision-makers. The solution is to go back to personalization. Formatted emails need to be removed from your own sequences and be replaced with persona-based selling. Sequence your outreaches using social media platforms, emails, and phone call pitches. You can use this steps: Send an email with a gift, like an ebook. Reach out through LinkedIn. Make a personal phone call. Email them. Repeat this process three times. With this process, you can reach decision makers, even offline. During this process, sharpen your sales sword and differentiate yourself from the competitors. “How to Reach Decision-Makers When Selling to Enterprises” episode resources Reach out to Erik Kostelnik via his LinkedIn account. You can also check out the website. Speak with Donald directly for more sales talks. Reach him via these channels: LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook about any sales concerns. Try Pipedrive today for FREE! As a TSE listener, PipeDrive is offering you an EXTEND trial beyond the typical 30 days + 25% off your first three months after trial. Try it today at → https://pipedrive.live/tse use your code: pipedrivetse. This course is brought to you in part by TSE Certified Sales Training Program. It’s a course designed to help new and struggling sellers to master the fundamentals of sales and close more deals. It will help them elevate their sales game. Sign up now and get the first two modules for free! You can go and visit www.thesalesevangelist.com/closemoredeals also call us at (561) 570-5077. We’d love for you to join us for our next episodes so tune in on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, and Spotify. You can also leave comments, suggestions, and ratings to every episode you listen to. You can also read more about sales or listen to audiobooks on Audible and explore this huge online library. Register now to get a free book and a 30-day free trial. Audio provided by Free SFX and Bensound. Other songs used in the episodes are as follows: The Organ Grinder written by Bradley Jay Hill, performed by Bright Seed, and Produced by Brightseed and Hill.Mentioned in this episode:HubSpot and bluëmago | STUDIOSHubSpot and bluëmago | STUDIOS hubpspot.com/marketers bluemangostudios.com

Mistakes Salespeople Make When Prospecting Prospecting is one of the hardest stages in the sales process. It’s where salespeople commonly make mistakes that impact the entire pitch. Learn some of the common prospecting mistakes in this episode. Diane Helbig works with small business owners and salespeople in overcoming their struggles. She works out realistic ways for salespeople and entrepreneurs to get things done in an authentic manner. Common prospecting mistakes Here are the top 3 common mistakes that salespeople make when prospecting. Salespeople believe that everyone is a prospect Believing that what they seek is a sale rather than a meeting Talking more than listening Sales is about solving the problem and connecting your product to your client’s need. This isn’t about convincing people to buy from you. Unless you have what they need, convincing someone who wasn’t ready to buy can lead to buyer’s remorse. If you approach the prospect with the closing in mind, the sales process becomes about you and not about them. Not everyone is a prospect It’s hard for salespeople to realize not everyone needs your products and services. As sales reps, you need to evaluate your prospects and approach the process in a more curious way. You want to be able to recognize the people you’re supposed to work with and understand not everyone is going to be a good fit for you. When you work with people you connect with, and they with you, you’re setting yourself up better for a long-term relationship. Seek sale rather than a meeting When looking for sales, sales reps are focused on closing a deal. As a result, you may not recognize that prospects are signaling you that you’re being pushy. Your main goal isn’t the sale but the meeting, a chance for discovery. This is where you build a relationship with prospects. This is where you figure out if it makes sense for you to continue the conversation. Talking more than listening Sales reps can talk at length about their products and services long before they get permission. It’s presumptuous and off-putting and can push prospects away. The more a salesperson is talking, the less they’re learning. If we’re not learning about the prospects, we won’t be able to build that relationship and trust and we certainly won’t know what’s best for them. “Mistakes Salespeople Make When Prospecting” episode resources Reach out to Diane Helbig via her LinkedIn account. Speak with Donald directly for more sales talks. Reach him via these channels: LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook about any sales concerns. This course is brought to you in part by TSE Certified Sales Training Program. It’s a course designed to help new and struggling sellers to master the fundamentals of sales and close more deals. It will help them elevate their sales game. Sign up now and get the first two modules for free! You can go and visit www.thesalesevangelist.com/closemoredeals also call us at (561) 570-5077. We’d love for you to join us for our next episodes so tune in on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, and Spotify. You can also leave comments, suggestions, and ratings to every episode you listen to. You can also read more about sales or listen to audiobooks on Audible and explore this huge online library. Register now to get a free book and a 30-day free trial. Audio provided by Free SFX and Bensound. Other songs used in the episodes are as follows: The Organ Grinder written by Bradley Jay Hill, performed by Bright Seed, and Produced by Brightseed and Hill.Mentioned in this episode:HubSpot and bluëmago | STUDIOSHubSpot and bluëmago | STUDIOS hubpspot.com/marketers bluemangostudios.com

Discuss and Understanding Women Leadership Understanding women leadership is becoming an important facet of sales success today. Women now play the same roles that men have but it’s not a typical subject to talk about the challenges that women face in their careers. Linda Yates helps people and organizations tap into their most positive, profitable, and professional image. Obstacles to women leadership Even though it’s 2020 women are still facing this challenge - the lack of pay base across the table. Males typically make more than their female counterparts, even in the same role. Leadership roles have been primarily populated by men over the course of time, women have flooded that role. Even then, there’s still a disparity. Women often feel like an imposter when the reality is that they are capable of doing the job well. Women will, however, have the tendency to hold back because they still don’t have the bravado. The critical point to being successful, however, is striving to be the best and making sure you have a solid support system among your partners, family, and friends. Women are often put down in the workplace so it’s important to set up boundaries. They shouldn’t allow others to dictate how they should or should not feel. Look for mentors Men can help by being a good foundation and support system but women should look for unbiased mentors who will pull them up, get the respect they deserve, and help them find a seat at the table. “Discuss and Understanding Women Leadership” episode resources Connect with Linda Yates via his LinkedIn account and watch out for her upcoming podcast as well! The podcast will be about the many challenges the women are facing right now in various industries and how they are able to overcome these obstacles and challenges. Listen to IntHerRupt podcast produced by tsestudios.io/intherupt. You can also mail Linda at [email protected]. Speak with Donald directly for more sales talks. Reach him via these channels: LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook about any sales concerns. This course is brought to you in part by TSE Certified Sales Training Program. It’s a course designed to help new and struggling sellers to master the fundamentals of sales and close more deals. It will help them elevate their sales game. Sign up now and get the first two modules for free! You can go and visit www.thesalesevangelist.com/closemoredeals also call us at (561) 570-5077. We’d love for you to join us for our next episodes so tune in on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, and Spotify. You can also leave comments, suggestions, and ratings to every episode you listen to. You can also read more about sales or listen to audiobooks on Audible and explore this huge online library. Register now to get a free book and a 30-day free trial. Audio provided by Free SFX and Bensound. Other songs used in the episodes are as follows: The Organ Grinder written by Bradley Jay Hill, performed by Bright Seed, and Produced by Brightseed and Hill.Mentioned in this episode:HubSpot and bluëmago | STUDIOSHubSpot and bluëmago | STUDIOS hubpspot.com/marketers bluemangostudios.com

Knowing the Right Time to Ask for the Sale Sales is about the timing - when to pitch, when to close, and when to ask for the sale. Sales reps need to learn how to nail down this timing to get the desired outcome. Tim Kintz is the president of the Kintz Group, a training and consulting company for the automotive industry. He’s been in the car businesses for 30 years and recently published his book, Frictionless, which talks about closing and negotiating with purpose. Best ways to ask for the sale Customers today have choices. Every dealership is just a click away from buying the car and the failure to deliver exceptional experiences will cause sales reps their deals. Today’s lifestyle is different than it has been. People worked and could afford to change cars every two-three years. Now, many are battling unemployment. With everything so unsure, everyone is having to navigate a variety of financial struggles. Sales reps must focus on building the relationship because with so much competition it isn't just about selling a car, customers expect excellent service and a great experience. People are willing to pay as long as they have a stellar experience. Negotiating the right way Salespeople need to learn how to make the customers feel good. People want to feel they got a good deal at the end of a negotiation. Don’t negotiate out of fear, but from inspiration. You won’t make every shot but you need to believe that you could. How to close a sale If you want to be great, you must be willing to pay the price. Practice your closing pitch by saying it out loud over and over again. Listen to your voice and pay attention. Sales reps shouldn’t practice their techniques on their customers, but during the time in between. Challenge yourself to get better and have fun. A sale is made when you transfer your enthusiasm to your customers. “Knowing the Right Time to Ask for the Sale” episode resources Connect with Tim Kintz via his LinkedIn account. Speak with Donald directly for more sales talks. Reach him via these channels: LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook about any sales concerns. This episode is brought to you in part by Crmble, the easy-peasy CRM for Trello that helps you manage your contacts and leads without investing in complicated solutions, sync all your data, manage custom fields, and get powerful reporting on your sales. Try Crmble now for free at www.crmble.com/tse. This course is also brought to you in part by TSE Certified Sales Training Program. It’s a course designed to help new and struggling sellers to master the fundamentals of sales and close more deals. It will help them elevate their sales game. Sign up now and get the first two modules for free! You can go and visit www.thesalesevangelist.com/closemoredeals also call us at (561) 570-5077. We’d love for you to join us for our next episodes so tune in on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, and Spotify. You can also leave comments, suggestions, and ratings to every episode you listen to. You can also read more about sales or listen to audiobooks on Audible and explore this huge online library. Register now to get a free book and a 30-day free trial. Audio provided by Free SFX and Bensound. Other songs used in the episodes are as follows: The Organ Grinder written by Bradley Jay Hill, performed by Bright Seed, and Produced by Brightseed and Hill.Mentioned in this episode:HubSpot and bluëmago | STUDIOSHubSpot and bluëmago | STUDIOS hubpspot.com/marketers bluemangostudios.com

How to Reach Executive Decision Makers, and Why They are Listening Right Now In previous episodes, we’ve covered that sales reps have to touch base with several people within their industry, especially the executive decision-makers. This may seem a daunting task in today’s climate but it’s necessary. In this episode, we talk to Jeremy Miller, the founder of Sticky Branding. His experience in moving through recessions with the family business, and with his own brand, prepared him for the economic downturn that resulted from covid. With the knowledge he’s accumulated, he’s helping other businesses turn it around and in many cases, launch even better. Reach out executives The pandemic leveled the playing field for all - every sales rep and even the executives are going through the same experiences together. Almost all businesses are in a state of change as they push the threshold of what they’ve known as common business practices. They’re having to relearn where to listen. Sales reps who are equipped with the right knowledge and who are positioning themselves to talk with the right executives are going to see success despite current industry standards. Bring value to the executives There are three ways to sell: feature benefits selling solution perspective selling provoking the customer Jeremy suggests that the last one is the best approach today as businesses right now are changing. As a sales rep, ask yourself, “Who needs the expertise of our company most right now?” Approach your customers with the question, “Who in your organization knows about the need first?” Ask them what their problems are and offer them a solution. The business executive team should be looking at the market and asking the important questions: Where do we play? How do we win? What are the issues that our clients are facing? It’s a team effort Have a team meeting that talks about value proposition and the sales efforts on a weekly basis. Make it a dedicated meeting and discuss how you sell right now. What are the shifts you are making as a company? Talk about the strategies that work and get feedback from everyone on the team. Sales is the sharp end of the spear when it comes to business development. The organization must learn to adapt with the trend and make the necessary changes to have a competitive advantage. Sales teams who are thriving keep everyone in their organization from getting laid off. “How to Reach Executive Decision Makers, and Why They are Listening Right Now” episode resources Follow Jeremy Miller on LinkedIn now to learn more. If you are interested in more sales stories, you can talk to Donald directly. Reach him via these channels: LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook about any sales concerns. This episode is brought to you in part by Crmble, the easy-peasy CRM for Trello that helps you manage your contacts and leads without investing in complicated solutions, sync all your data, manage custom fields, and get powerful reporting on your sales. Try Crmble now for free at www.crmble.com/tse. This course is also brought to you in part by TSE Certified Sales Training Program. It’s a course designed to help new and struggling sellers to master the fundamentals of sales and close more deals. It will help them elevate their sales game. Sign up now and get the first two modules for free! You can go and visit www.thesalesevangelist.com/closemoredeals also call us at (561) 570-5077. We’d love for you to join us for our next episodes so tune in on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, and Spotify. You can also leave comments, suggestions, and ratings to every episode you listen to. You can also read more about sales or listen to audiobooks on Audible and explore this huge online library. Register now to get a free book and a 30-day free trial. Audio provided by Free SFX and Bensound. Other songs used in the episodes are as follows: The Organ Grinder written by Bradley Jay Hill, performed by Bright Seed, and Produced by Brightseed and Hill.Mentioned in this episode:HubSpot and bluëmago | STUDIOSHubSpot and bluëmago | STUDIOS hubpspot.com/marketers bluemangostudios.com

Will Sales Make Me More Confident and Improve My Social Skills? Sales is a career where people develop their social skills and deepen relationship building. What happens, however, if you’re starting from a place of anxiety and it’s hard for you to talk to people? Is it still possible to have a successful career in sales? Unfortunately, sales isn’t the solution to these issues and in this episode, we’ll talk about the reasons why. The wrong idea of getting into sales Sales is a career that deals with interacting with people and the point of it is not to boost your confidence. Being a salesperson who is looking for ways the customer can benefit you means that you’re thinking more about fulfilling your needs rather than helping the buyers solve their problems. Nobody should get into sales exclusively thinking about what they’re going to get out of it. This mentality makes sales reps people pleasers. They’re afraid of offending their prospects so it keeps the sales rep from asking the important questions. Wanting to please people means losing the ability to speak of the problem upfront in fear of ruining business relationships. In the long run, this doesn’t serve your customers well. Sales is more than just talking Just because you love talking doesn’t mean you should get into sales. There are other career opportunities that would give you the platform to talk. Get into sales with a desire to succeed and with existing mental fortitude. Sales is a demanding job - it has deadlines, pipelines, and goals that need to be met. If you go into sales without the right mindset, it will be difficult to improve and succeed. What sales is There’s a lot of processes involved in sales. For example, administrative work involves emailing clients and prospects, cleaning up the CRM, and more. Sales is a great career but it isn’t for everyone. Don’t get into sales if you just want to help boost your confidence and build social skills. If you are shy, don’t like talking, and you have anxiety, these are things you’ll need to resolve before you think about a sales career. Otherwise, it could exacerbate the problem for you and any future clients. Anyone going into sales should want to help other people find solutions to their problems. “Will Sales Make Me More Confident and Improve My Social Skills?” episode resources If you are interested in more sales stories, you can talk to Donald directly. Reach him via these channels: LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook about any sales concerns. This episode is brought to you in part by IntHerRupt, a podcast designed to empower women leaders to take their seat at the table and talk about timely topics, challenges that women face in the workplace towards leadership, and more. Guests come to the show to share their stories and personal experiences of overcoming the challenges and beating the odds. This course is also brought to you in part by TSE Certified Sales Training Program. It’s a course designed to help new and struggling sellers to master the fundamentals of sales and close more deals. It will help them elevate their sales game. Sign up now and get the first two modules for free! You can go and visit www.thesalesevangelist.com/closemoredeals also call us at (561) 570-5077. We’d love for you to join us for our next episodes so tune in on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, and Spotify. You can also leave comments, suggestions, and ratings to every episode you listen to. You can also read more about sales or listen to audiobooks on Audible and explore this huge online library. Register now to get a free book and a 30-day free trial. Audio provided by Free SFX and Bensound. Other songs used in the episodes are as follows: The Organ Grinder written by Bradley Jay Hill, performed by Bright Seed, and Produced by Brightseed and Hill.Mentioned in this episode:HubSpot and bluëmago | STUDIOSHubSpot and bluëmago | STUDIOS hubpspot.com/marketers bluemangostudios.com

A Simple Exercise to Understand Your Customers' Values Solving customer needs are core to any business. For your organization to achieve success, you need to understand what’s valuable to your customer. Let’s talk about that in this episode. David Priemer had the opportunity to work with Salesforce and saw how sales machines were built operationally and culturally. His time in sales made him realize that people naturally love to buy things but they don’t like speaking with salespeople. David aims to combine his experience as a salesperson and research scientist with the curiosity-based approach to help make sales better for all. Sell the way you buy Modern selling and buying have changed dramatically over the past 5-10 years. With the advent of social media, people no longer have the mental bandwidth to care about everything equally. Unfortunately, many salespeople are stuck using the same tactics that worked 10-20 years ago and that can be disastrous. Salespeople must step up and use modern approaches to connect with buyers as they become more driven, skeptical, and information-rich. Let go of closing tactics Many sales reps tend to default to out-dated closing scenarios that corner people into buying their products. They push people in making purchasing decisions without considering and understanding customer value. Instead of forcing people to purchase using generic and scripted methods, use personalization. Reciprocity is more likely to occur when you put in the effort of doing homework before reaching out to prospects. Unconscious selling This refers to people who are executing certain sales tactics because someone told them to and they don’t always work. The idea is to be curious about how the sales approach is perceived and knowing why a particular pitch worked or didn’t. One solution is to identify the enemy - what are the challenges your customers face? Understand what your customer values. Tap into their emotions because this is how people connect. Sellers are the solutions to pain points and when we solve problems, we put ourselves in a position of credibility. Don’t lead with the solution, lead with the problem, and be indispensable. “A Simple Exercise to Understand Your Customers' Values” episode resources Connect with David Priemer in LinkedIn and check out his book, Sell the Way You Buy. If you are interested in more sales stories, you can talk to Donald directly. Reach him via these channels: LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook about any sales concerns. This episode is brought to you in part by Crmble, the easy-peasy CRM for Trello that helps you manage your contacts and leads without investing in complicated solutions, sync all your data, manage custom fields, and get powerful reporting on your sales. Try Crmble now for free at www.crmble.com/tse. This course is also brought to you in part by TSE Certified Sales Training Program. It’s a course designed to help new and struggling sellers to master the fundamentals of sales and close more deals. It will help them elevate their sales game. Sign up now and get the first two modules for free! You can go and visit www.thesalesevangelist.com/closemoredeals also call us at (561) 570-5077. We’d love for you to join us for our next episodes so tune in on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, and Spotify. You can also leave comments, suggestions, and ratings to every episode you listen to. You can also read more about sales or listen to audiobooks on Audible and explore this huge online library. Register now to get a free book and a 30-day free trial. Audio provided by Free SFX and Bensound. Other songs used in the episodes are as follows: The Organ Grinder written by Bradley Jay Hill, performed by Bright Seed, and Produced by Brightseed and Hill.Mentioned in this episode:HubSpot and bluëmago | STUDIOSHubSpot and bluëmago | STUDIOS hubpspot.com/marketers bluemangostudios.com

How to Be Indispensable to Your Customers How can you become indispensable to your customers? Let’s learn the important facets of our clients’ businesses in this episode. Nick Casale is the director of Sales at Sendoso, a company that makes it easy to send anything everywhere so you can ship gifts to your clients and prospects. Their services can help you engage, acquire, and retain customers. Becoming indispensable to your clients The challenge is understanding the difference between what your buyer can get exclusively from you versus what they can get from Google or other sources. There are two ways to become indispensable to your clients. The first is by being helpful and approachable and the other is recognizing that both you and your clients are human beings. You should be able to maintain a business relationship while delivering business value. Salespeople can make the mistake of forgetting that clients and prospects are more than that. They are also people with families and at the end of the day, just normal people who are all going through the same things we all are. If you treat your clients just by dollar value, you risk losing the connection and trust. Bridging gaps using events This may not be possible now due to the pandemic but when we’re able to host events again, we should. Going to events allows us to meet prospects face to face, shake their hands, and have a conversation. When you get to meet people and share a meal, it’s easier to see the person, even beyond their title or position in the company. Becoming indispensable to your customers starts with creating a genuine relationship with them. You earn this by becoming a trusted advisor and being consultative. Don’t fake authenticity. Lead with empathy and understand that people are trying their hardest in a very difficult time. You need to understand that the product you’re selling is not the most important thing in the whole world. What’s important is the connection and remembering your client is a human being first. “How to Be Indispensable to Your Customers” episode resources Connect with Nick Casale via his LinkedIn account. If you are interested in more sales stories, you can talk to Donald directly. Reach him via these channels: LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook about any sales concerns. This episode is brought to you in part by Crmble, the easy-peasy CRM for Trello that helps you manage your contacts and leads without investing in complicated solutions, sync all your data, manage custom fields, and get powerful reporting on your sales. Try Crmble now for free at www.crmble.com/tse. This course is also brought to you in part by TSE Certified Sales Training Program. It’s a course designed to help new and struggling sellers to master the fundamentals of sales and close more deals. It will help them elevate their sales game. Sign up now and get the first two modules for free! You can go and visit www.thesalesevangelist.com/closemoredeals also call us at (561) 570-5077. We’d love for you to join us for our next episodes so tune in on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, and Spotify. You can also leave comments, suggestions, and ratings to every episode you listen to. You can also read more about sales or listen to audiobooks on Audible and explore this huge online library. Register now to get a free book and a 30-day free trial. Audio provided by Free SFX and Bensound. Other songs used in the episodes are as follows: The Organ Grinder written by Bradley Jay Hill, performed by Bright Seed, and Produced by Brightseed and Hill.Mentioned in this episode:HubSpot and bluëmago | STUDIOSHubSpot and bluëmago | STUDIOS hubpspot.com/marketers bluemangostudios.com

What To Do When Co-Workers Try To Steal Your Deals Most salespeople respect boundaries and defined territories but human nature can get the best of people and lines are crossed. Sometimes areas have not been well-assigned. When that happens, what should you do? How should you handle it in a civilized manner? In this episode, we provide the answers to these questions. Be indispensable When you are working with a client or a potential client, make your presence known. Don’t reach out to just one individual in the organization, reach out to multiple individuals who are at multiple levels. Talk to their director of sales, their HR rep, the VP of sales, and if you’re able, talk to their executive. As much as possible, have three conversations or interactions with these people so the company identifies you as the rep for the products you represent. Make sure that you are indispensable to the client and provide value. To maximize your interactions use the technology that’s available to you and omnichannel to connect with the people in your target organization. For example, there’s LinkedIn, email, and more. Just make sure you’re reaching out and show your interest in working with them. Stay calm When you see somebody in your deal or pipeline, it’s important you don’t make a scene. Stay calm and take deep breaths. Bad things happen when you let your emotions get the best of you. Don’t give your client, that team member, or your boss any opportunity to see you as unprofessional. The person who’s level-headed wins the battle. Understand the rules Make sure you know your company’s policy when it comes to pursuing opportunities and working in the boundaries of your territory . It keeps you in line and it keeps you in accountable to respecting someone else’s territory. You want to know the rules before you play the game. Approach the teammate calmly When it comes to approaching a teammate about encroaching a territory, be level-headed and investigate what their reasons might be. Perhaps they don’t know how the company policy works, so educate them. But if that teammate does know the rules, your approach will tell them you are serious and professional. Clarify the status and solve the problem head-on. If the management allows such a situation to happen multiple times consider another organization with better morale. If you’re finding this happens to you repeatedly, it’s time to put your foot down and have a serious conversation so it doesn’t occur again. “What To Do When Co-Workers Try To Steal Your Deals” episode resources If you are interested in more sales stories, you can talk to Donald directly. Reach him via these channels: LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook about any sales concerns. This episode is brought to you in part by IntHerRupt, a podcast designed to empower women leaders to take their seat at the table and talk about timely topics, challenges that women face in the workplace towards leadership, and more. Guests come to the show to share their stories and personal experiences of overcoming the challenges and beating the odds. This course is also brought to you in part by TSE Certified Sales Training Program. It’s a course designed to help new and struggling sellers to master the fundamentals of sales and close more deals. It will help them elevate their sales game. Sign up now and get the first two modules for free! You can go and visit www.thesalesevangelist.com/closemoredeals also call us at (561) 570-5077. We’d love for you to join us for our next episodes so tune in on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, and Spotify. You can also leave comments, suggestions, and ratings to every episode you listen to. You can also read more about sales or listen to audiobooks on Audible and explore this huge online library. Register now to get a free book and a 30-day free trial. Audio provided by Free SFX and Bensound. Other songs used in the episodes are as follows: The Organ Grinder written by Bradley Jay Hill, performed by Bright Seed, and Produced by Brightseed and Hill.Mentioned in this episode:HubSpot and bluëmago | STUDIOSHubSpot and bluëmago | STUDIOS hubpspot.com/marketers bluemangostudios.com

The Secret Weapon for Selling Anything Learn the secret weapons for selling in this episode and apply these selling tips to your sales journey as a salesperson. Flynn Blackie dropped his education and pursued his thirst for success. He started creating websites for friends and as word of mouth grew his reputation, he was able to build his website development business. Secrets of successful selling Learn their names A person’s name is the first and easiest information to obtain. Knowing someone’s name is important and it immediately sparks their interest. Using a name means you are giving an individual importance and you value them. That sparks the clients’ interests. Understand what’s important to them The next thing you need to know someone’s interests. Genuinely learn what they need and how your services can help them. Personalize your approach and choose businesses and clients’ causes that you are passionate about. Salespeople need to go the extra mile if we want to grab the attention of our prospects. We want to set ourselves apart from our competition. Take advantage of social media channels One of the most common resources salespeople will use is social media. It’s a great way to find common ground between you and your clients and support them through their interests. Prospects feel appreciated when you personalize your approach. In the midst of this pandemic, you can help your clients for free with Flynn’s COVID-support website. He’s offered free strategy calls and solutions to people who need help. Flynn discovered that in this time of crisis, people who were coming to him are those who have wanted to kickstart their career in business but didn’t have the time before. Have the desire to learn from other people Another secret tip to selling is learning from other people. Build a connection with like-minded salespeople and mentors who have already walked the path you want to follow. “The Secret Weapon for Selling Anything” episode resources Connect with Flynn Blackie via his LinkedIn account. Read the article that featured the mind of Flynn here too! If you are interested in more sales stories, you can talk to Donald directly. Reach him via these channels: LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook about any sales concerns. This episode is brought to you in part by Crmble, the easy-peasy CRM for Trello that helps you manage your contacts and leads without investing in complicated solutions, sync all your data, manage custom fields, and get powerful reporting on your sales. Try Crmble now for free at www.crmble.com/tse. This course is also brought to you in part by TSE Certified Sales Training Program. It’s a course designed to help new and struggling sellers to master the fundamentals of sales and close more deals. It will help them elevate their sales game. Sign up now and get the first two modules for free! You can go and visit www.thesalesevangelist.com/closemoredeals also call us at (561) 570-5077. We’d love for you to join us for our next episodes so tune in on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, and Spotify. You can also leave comments, suggestions, and ratings to every episode you listen to. You can also read more about sales or listen to audiobooks on Audible and explore this huge online library. Register now to get a free book and a 30-day free trial. Audio provided by Free SFX and Bensound. Other songs used in the episodes are as follows: The Organ Grinder written by Bradley Jay Hill, performed by Bright Seed, and Produced by Brightseed and Hill.Mentioned in this episode:HubSpot and bluëmago | STUDIOSHubSpot and bluëmago | STUDIOS hubpspot.com/marketers bluemangostudios.com

Why Sales Executives Should Look to the Midwest When Hiring After COVID-19 Sales executives need to plan with optimism. We may not know when the pandemic will be over but when the health crisis ends, will companies be ready to launch well? Matt Hunckler is the CEO of Powderkeg. His company works with people in the tech industry to reach their full potential by helping them to get established in a career in tech, regardless of their location. Due to the pandemic, there’s been a shift in the unemployment rate from 2% to almost 20%. All industries have been affected, including technology. However, many companies that are well-capitalized and those with a good business model are now getting back to hiring talent. Hiring in the Midwest Start-up companies are not for everyone, but if you can get on the front end of a rising star, there are incredible opportunities and potential for growth. For example, businesses in the midwest are raising considerable money. They are investing in talent and they are growing and selling. The opportunity is enormous. Tech hubs outside of Silicon Valley, like those that are found in the Midwest, are unique in each of their own ways and are showing encouraging growth. It should be noted that unlike the companies in Silicon Valley, these smaller startups don’t have the same level of capital. They need a sound revenue model from day one and have to be profitable to survive. This should help salespeople to focus on companies with a strong revenue model in order to have the best-earning potential. Life in the Unvalley Tech hubs outside of Silicon Valley are also known as the Unvalley. The cost of living and the quality of life is different in the Unvalley in that the competition for jobs is lower. Many sales reps believe that working for a startup company in the Unvalley is more rewarding in terms of achieving success. Each tech hub is very different and there is an advantage in knowing these communities well. The startup companies aren’t as well-mapped so their data is sparse. When making work-related decisions, look at the culture of the company, and make sure their values align with yours. Even with layoffs, there are enormous opportunities particularly in the tech communities in the Unvalley. “Why Sales Executives Should Look to the Midwest When Hiring After COVID-19” episode resources Connect with Matt Hunckler via his LinkedIn account. If you are interested in more sales stories, you can talk to Donald directly. Reach him via these channels: LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook about any sales concerns. This episode is brought to you in part by Crmble, the easy-peasy CRM for Trello that helps you manage your contacts and leads without investing in complicated solutions, sync all your data, manage custom fields, and get powerful reporting on your sales. Try Crmble now for free at www.crmble.com/tse. This course is also brought to you in part by TSE Certified Sales Training Program. It’s a course designed to help new and struggling sellers to master the fundamentals of sales and close more deals. It will help them elevate their sales game. Sign up now and get the first two modules for free! You can go and visit www.thesalesevangelist.com/closemoredeals also call us at (561) 570-5077. We’d love for you to join us for our next episodes so tune in on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, and Spotify. You can also leave comments, suggestions, and ratings to every episode you listen to. You can also read more about sales or listen to audiobooks on Audible and explore this huge online library. Register now to get a free book and a 30-day free trial. Audio provided by Free SFX and Bensound. Other songs used in the episodes are as follows: The Organ Grinder written by Bradley Jay Hill, performed by Bright Seed, and Produced by Brightseed and Hill.Mentioned in this episode:HubSpot and bluëmago | STUDIOSHubSpot and bluëmago | STUDIOS hubpspot.com/marketers bluemangostudios.com

Secret Ninja Hack For CRM Updates and Meeting Recaps The task that many salespeople find cumbersome is updating and maintaining the CRM. If you have CRM hacks, however, the task can be faster and less tedious. CRM hacks you need to know Updating CRM isn’t an easy job. When you meet a prospect, and you have a great conversation, ideally the relationship will continue to progress. Although the relationship building is gratifying, most salespeople don’t enjoy spending time recording the details, updating the information on the CRM, and organizing the details as the relationship moves toward a closing. Working on CRM is not the most exciting aspect of the sales process, but it is necessary. The importance of CRM An organized CRM helps salespeople understand their customers more, and this knowledge offers a better idea about how to help the customer. A salesperson can only be as effective, however, inasmuch as the data in the CRM is useful. One of the CRM hacks you can use is utilizing Google Doc for its accessibility and straightforward layout. Check out the features and tools within the app and take advantage of their many uses. One feature that can help with speed and efficiency is the typing feature. Use it the next time you have a meeting in order to take quick notes. You can then copy all the little notes you have and put it in the CRM. The other CRM hack available is Otter, a transcription website that can transcribe all your recorded audios. You can record your Zoom meetings and import it to Otter to get a breakdown of your conversation per second. This allows you to go back to your meetings to review parts of the conversation you want to revisit. Use these CRM hacks to make the most of your CRM. “Secret Ninja Hack For CRM Updates and Meeting Recaps” episode resources Connect with Donald via these channels: LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook about any sales concerns. This episode is brought to you in part by Intherrupt, a podcast that is all about empowering women leaders. Every episode, Linda Yates interviews some of the most intriguing women in the business world. She finds out what they do to be able to gain an opportunity in the business world. The podcast launches on August 24 and if you want to get on an early adopters list, go to www.salespodcastnetwork.com/intherrupt. This course is also brought to you in part by TSE Certified Sales Training Program. It’s a course designed to help new and struggling sellers to master the fundamentals of sales and close more deals. It will help them elevate their sales game. Sign up now and get the first two modules for free! You can go and visit www.thesalesevangelist.com/closemoredeals also call us at (561) 570-5077. We’d love for you to join us for our next episodes so tune in on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, and Spotify. You can also leave comments, suggestions, and ratings to every episode you listen to. You can also read more about sales or listen to audiobooks on Audible and explore this huge online library. Register now to get a free book and a 30-day free trial. Audio provided by Free SFX and Bensound. Other songs used in the episodes are as follows: The Organ Grinder written by Bradley Jay Hill, performed by Bright Seed, and Produced by Brightseed and Hill.Mentioned in this episode:HubSpot and bluëmago | STUDIOSHubSpot and bluëmago | STUDIOS hubpspot.com/marketers bluemangostudios.com

Using Video To Improve Lead Generation There have been huge improvements in lead generation tools that salespeople can use with much more efficiency. In this episode, Sean Gordon will discuss the video technology he and his team created called vidREACH and how it can be used to improve contact with prospects. Ideas to improve lead generation With technology available today, people are seeing video as an effective tool to improve lead generation. Forbes projects that 80% - 85% of all content by 2022 will be sent through videos as people are turning to mobile-based apps. A 30 second video easily replaces 500-word content. Salespeople want a platform that allows them to stand out in their industry so they need a personalized approach to make a human connection, especially when the pandemic has made it difficult for people to gather. This human connection leads to more conversation, then appointments, and eventually, closing more deals. Regardless of the channel you use to connect with other people, whether it be through LinkedIn, email, traditional email, messenger - you need a workflow. Sean’s system allows you to figure out that workflow as you send personalized messages. With Sean’s plug and play approach, you can load your contacts with their first name, last name, and email and once that’s done, you can then create a video or an email template that can be used again. Video to increase lead generation Anyone can just send a video at any stage but it’s the format that matters. Remember that videos are more like wallpapers that are clickable, and they’re hyperlinks that allow you to pick-up thumbnails you want to go into. Effective Video formats Everyone is different. There are some progressive companies. Some would use a breakup email and others go for personalized formats to give that raw and authentic feel to it. The standard best practices are some of the basics in video creation. This includes the proper lighting, the camera angle, the background, good audio, a good video quality, the use of a teleprompter script, and other equipment. For Sean, a 30-45 seconds video is enough. The key to improve lead generation using videos isn’t the length but the message - the shorter the message, the more effective it becomes. Create your message in a way that personalizes it to the person you’re targeting so think about their industry and their challenges. “Using Video To Improve Lead Generation” episode resources Connect with Sean via his LinkedIn account. You can also visit their website to get a chance to speak with him personally. If you are interested in more sales stories, you can talk to Donald directly. Reach him via these channels: LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook about any sales concerns. This episode is brought to you in part by Crmble, the easy-peasy CRM for Trello that helps you manage your contacts and leads without investing in complicated solutions, sync all your data, manage custom fields, and get powerful reporting on your sales. Try Crmble now for free at www.crmble.com/tse. This course is also brought to you in part by TSE Certified Sales Training Program. It’s a course designed to help new and struggling sellers to master the fundamentals of sales and close more deals. It will help them elevate their sales game. Sign up now and get the first two modules for free! You can go and visit www.thesalesevangelist.com/closemoredeals also call us at (561) 570-5077. We’d love for you to join us for our next episodes so tune in on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, and Spotify. You can also leave comments, suggestions, and ratings to every episode you listen to. You can also read more about sales or listen to audiobooks on Audible and explore this huge online library. Register now to get a free book and a 30-day free trial. Audio provided by Free SFX and Bensound. Other songs used in the episodes are as follows: The Organ Grinder written by Bradley Jay Hill, performed by Bright Seed, and Produced by Brightseed and Hill.Mentioned in this episode:HubSpot and bluëmago | STUDIOSHubSpot and bluëmago | STUDIOS hubpspot.com/marketers bluemangostudios.com

Discover Your Strengths, Sell Authentically, Increase Sales We all have strengths that will help us become great salespeople. The problem is, we don’t always know what these strengths are or how to use them to sell authentically. Eddie Villa is both a life and a sales coach and in this episode, he’ll speak about using our strengths to help us sell authentically. Strengths of a Salesperson There are 34 different strengths that fall under 4 themes: Relationship building, strategic thinking, influencing, and executing. Everyone has different motivations and strengths when it comes to selling. Are you someone who wants to deepen relationships? Are you driven by checking off a list? Do you like to learn new skills? Are you motivated by the process? Once you realize what your strengths are, and you lean into your motivators, selling becomes easy! Balancing your strengths Company culture may not align with your strengths. In that case, focus on the required activities to get the job done. Once you know the fundamentals, find a way to add your own flair and authenticity into the execution. If your company wants you to send emails, then send them in a way that is a reflection of your strength. For example, you may enjoy making a video more than you do writing. If you’re a relationship builder, find a way to connect with your prospect. Maybe you want to gather information to strategically plan out what is best for a client’s needs. If you like to do research, learn about your prospect’s company or personal interests in order to put a unique package together just for them. You are the solution We are all unique and it’s these differences that drive the various outcomes. Businesses and clients are facing a variety of problems and you are the only one who can bring a solution based on your strengths. You are that special. Realize that some of your most celebrated successes came from moments you were just being you and build your sales career on who you are, in your strengths. It’s what your client needs. “Discover Your Strengths, Sell Authentically, Increase Sales” episode resources Reach out to Eddie Villa via his LinkedIn account , his website, Facebook, his podcast, Unleash Your Strengths, or email at [email protected]. Connect with Donald via these channels: LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook about any sales concerns. This episode is brought to you in part by Crmble, the easy-peasy CRM for Trello that helps you manage your contacts and leads without investing in complicated solutions, sync all your data, manage custom fields, and get powerful reporting on your sales. Try Crmble now for free at www.crmble.com/tse. This course is also brought to you in part by TSE Certified Sales Training Program. It’s a course designed to help new and struggling sellers to master the fundamentals of sales and close more deals. It will help them elevate their sales game. Sign up now and get the first two modules for free! You can go and visit www.thesalesevangelist.com/closemoredeals also call us at (561) 570-5077. We’d love for you to join us for our next episodes so tune in on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, and Spotify. You can also leave comments, suggestions, and ratings to every episode you listen to. You can also read more about sales or listen to audiobooks on Audible and explore this huge online library. Register now to get a free book and a 30-day free trial. Audio provided by Free SFX and Bensound. Other songs used in the episodes are as follows: The Organ Grinder written by Bradley Jay Hill, performed by Bright Seed, and Produced by Brightseed and Hill.Mentioned in this episode:HubSpot and bluëmago | STUDIOSHubSpot and bluëmago | STUDIOS hubpspot.com/marketers bluemangostudios.com

How Salespeople Can Use Abraham Lincoln's War Strategy To Close More Deals Abraham Lincoln is one of the most iconic individuals in American history for many reasons, but specifically his strategy in winning the Civil War. The Civil War was one of the darkest times for the American people, a pivotal time, and it caused the bloodiest wars fought on American soil. Abraham Lincoln brought the nation together and unified the two opposing beliefs of the North and the South people. Why bring this up on a sales podcast? Believe it or not, salespeople can use Lincoln’s strategy in closing more deals. Going out there It was Lincoln’s idea to visit the troops and see their issues and difficulties first-hand. That experience helped him understand what they were fighting for and he was able to communicate his observation to key leaders and generals. Lincoln listened and gathered information to know what was going on in the field. As a result, The Situation Room was created in order to discuss the intel that was gathered. Lincoln used the advancement of industrialization, such as the railroad. He deployed troops by railroad so their travel time happened in a matter of days instead of weeks. That was efficiency at its best. The soldiers were able to get where they were needed. As a sales rep The use of technology will also distinguish a good sales rep from a great sales rep. Great sales reps are taking advantage of new trends like personalized videos. They take the time to personalize emails by attaching video with content specific to the prospect. Use tools like LinkedIn Navigator and Postal to speed up your close rates and shorten the sales cycle. “How Salespeople Can Use Abraham Lincoln's War Strategy To Close More Deals” episode resources Connect with Donald via these channels: LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook about any sales concerns. This episode is brought to you in part by Intherrupt, a podcast that is all about empowering women leaders. Every episode, Linda Yates interviews some of the most intriguing women in the business world and finds out what they do to be able to gain an opportunity in the business world. The podcast launches on August 24 and if you want to get on an early adopters list, go to www.salespodcastnetwork.com/intherrupt. This course is also brought to you in part by TSE Certified Sales Training Program. It’s a course designed to help new and struggling sellers to master the fundamentals of sales and close more deals. It will help them elevate their sales game. Sign up now and get the first two modules for free! You can go and visit www.thesalesevangelist.com/closemoredeals also call us at (561) 570-5077. We’d love for you to join us for our next episodes so tune in on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, and Spotify. You can also leave comments, suggestions, and ratings to every episode you listen to. You can also read more about sales or listen to audiobooks on Audible and explore this huge online library. Register now to get a free book and a 30-day free trial. Audio provided by Free SFX and Bensound. Other songs used in the episodes are as follows: The Organ Grinder written by Bradley Jay Hill, performed by Bright Seed, and Produced by Brightseed and Hill.Mentioned in this episode:HubSpot and bluëmago | STUDIOSHubSpot and bluëmago | STUDIOS hubpspot.com/marketers bluemangostudios.com

Becoming the Best Storyteller Possible Jim Benton is the CEO of Chorus AI, a leader in conversation intelligence, who helps people understand the conversation that their sales teams are having with their customers. Technology is more important than ever as it can be used to tell stories that help your clients understand what it is you offer. However, with the pandemic, it is all the more challenging to know these stories within your sales team and what their activities might include. Becoming the best storyteller Three ways to become great storytellers: Authenticity A sales rep can be authentic and relaxed when he’s prepared. He has to understand what’s required of him to be present in the conversation and not be distracted. Experience Experience is tied to authenticity. The most authentic stories come from those that you have personally experienced. New sales reps who don’t have stories of their own can share what they observe. This means paying attention to the details of what is going on around them and the colleagues they work with. Data You need to have a way to validate and anchor the story so it connects to you and your client. The story is an effective way of building trust because people are more laid back when they’re sharing their stories. They’re more likely to exchange better information. As sales reps, this is where you need to be attentive. Once the story and rapport is established you can also add metrics and other relevant statistics to anchor a data point and enhance credibility. Storytelling and technology It’s critical to connect with people and technology helps us do that. It bridges the gap between sales reps and prospects. Once meetings have taken place, the sales team can use AI to share conversations everyone can listen to and learn from. It becomes an automated tool for coaching that comes straight from the customer. “Becoming the Best Storyteller Possible” episode resources Follow Jim Benton via his LinkedIn account. Connect with Donald via these channels: LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook about any sales concerns. This episode is brought to you in part by Crmble, the easy-peasy CRM for Trello that helps you manage your contacts and leads without investing in complicated solutions, sync all your data, manage custom fields, and get powerful reporting on your sales. Try Crmble now for free at www.crmble.com/tse. This course is also brought to you in part by TSE Certified Sales Training Program. It’s a course designed to help new and struggling sellers to master the fundamentals of sales and close more deals. It will help them elevate their sales game. Sign up now and get the first two modules for free! You can go and visit www.thesalesevangelist.com/closemoredeals also call us at (561) 570-5077. We’d love for you to join us for our next episodes so tune in on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, and Spotify. You can also leave comments, suggestions, and ratings to every episode you listen to. You can also read more about sales or listen to audiobooks on Audible and explore this huge online library. Register now to get a free book and a 30-day free trial. Audio provided by Free SFX and Bensound. Other songs used in the episodes are as follows: The Organ Grinder written by Bradley Jay Hill, performed by Bright Seed, and Produced by Brightseed and Hill.Mentioned in this episode:HubSpot and bluëmago | STUDIOSHubSpot and bluëmago | STUDIOS hubpspot.com/marketers bluemangostudios.com

How Sellers Can Build Trust With Buyers in Remote Settings Virtual and remote settings are now part of the sales process due to the ongoing pandemic. As a result, it can be hard for a salesperson to build trust with your buyers you can’t meet face to face. In this episode, we’ll look at ways trust can be built regardless of proximity. Russell Wurth is the global VP of Sales Enablement at Showpad and has had an expanding range of experience over the last 20 years. One of Russell’s favorite books, The Trusted Advisor, has a great formula for trust: Trust is credibility plus reliability plus intimacy divided by self-orientation. Trust is about developing credibility and reliability with a bit of intimacy. The thing about intimacy is that it’s hard to develop virtually. This is something that you build by personal interaction through dinners, lunch meetings, and other events. With the lack of personal meetings, however, sales reps now need to rely heavily on their credibility and reliability. Developing personal relationships is the natural way to build intimacy but what elements help the process? One way is to invest time in doing research about the other person’s personal interests and focus on topics that have nothing to do with business. That research will offer insight to common ground that could lead to a great conversation. You don’t want to come across as a salesperson looking to cut a deal right away. Step out with your authentic self. Building credibility Once a relationship starts to build, you’re then able to build credibility by focusing on what the buyer is going through. Bring value to the table. Share beneficial information that will help their pain point and present it in a way they’ll be able to understand. Don’t limit yourself to presentations that come from PowerPoints, PDFs, and videos. Think about the nurture path and feed the clients bit by bit. Provide insight instead of just unloading a pile of digital content, assuming that the client is going to read it. There are a lot of digital tools available that would vastly improve your presentations but as a salesperson, your goal is to make it more personal. Be authentic and show you truly care. You need to learn how to use your emotional quotient by showing empathy toward their challenges. Developing emotional quotient Salespeople used to just focus on what was good for their commissions and their company. They focused on product knowledge and how prospects could help their business. You can still share information about your products and services but only offer as much as it is truly helpful to your client. Sell them the problem solvers. Dive deeper and share the challenges that aren't’ just case studies but something that is relatable to them. As you build intimacy, make sure you don’t forget to focus on information that isn’t business oriented. #SalesCredibility Video is the way The best way to be out there right now is through video. Don’t be embarrassed about your background, what’s going on, or if there are kids everywhere. Be a little bit vulnerable and let them get a peek into your life. That will help you connect with your clients. You won’t just be a disconnected voice but someone they can see on camera, smiling and talking. Just be sure not to multitask while you are on a video call. Give them your full attention. The more you can show how invested you are in the conversation, the more they will return in kind. Showing them a bit of who you are can open into a friendlier conversation as it puts their guard down. Video calls aren’t about having the best background, it’s about finding your most comfortable spot. Sales reps need to be sensitive about time management especially when making calls. Set up your Google Calendar and be in 10 minutes before the scheduled time. Don’t try to wrap everything up within the hour. Your clients and prospects don’t want to feel rushed. If you can’t finish the presentation, then break it down by segments. Open your calendar again and set up another time the prospect can continue. You are only as good as the people who are going to vouch for you so explore how to do that in this digital world. Use this time while you’re home to build your social network and build your portfolio. “How Sellers Can Build Trust With Buyers in Remote Settings” episode resources Connect with Russell Wurth via LinkedIn and check out his official websites. If you are interested in more sales stories, you can talk to Donald directly. Reach him via these channels: LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook about any sales concerns. This episode is brought to you in part by Crmble, the easy-peasy CRM for Trello that helps you manage your contacts and leads without investing in complicated solutions, sync all your data, manage custom fields, and get powerful reporting on your sales. Try Crmble now for free at www.crmble.com/tse. This course is also brought to you in part by TSE Certified Sales Training Program. It’s a course des

The One Thing Holding You Back From Massive Success Regardless of the industry we are in, success is the goal, but it isn’t easy to achieve. It takes time and effort and oftentimes, we have to overcome mental blocks that keep us from attaining that success. In this episode, we’re talking about breaking through that upper limit to achieve sales success. Limiting your sales success Gay Hendricks wrote the book, The Big Leap: Conquer Your Hidden Fear and Take Life to the Next Level. It is a powerful book that talks about how we set limitations and don’t take big leaps because of fear. As a salesperson, we set limits on ourselves about what we do on a day-to-day basis. This may include calling clients or setting appointments. We have these upper limits, the proverbial glass ceiling, we impose on ourselves. These are the limits we don’t go beyond. For example, one salesperson may limit himself to three appointments a day and when they try to go beyond that, they somehow find ways to sabotage themselves. This is because he isn’t comfortable with success that is outside of his norm. He feels the need to move himself back into his comfort zone, a place where he feels like he belongs. The same is true in relationships. Sometimes when things are going well, fighting starts. This isn’t just a mystical force suddenly showing its face. The fight is something we conjure up in our minds. We allow it and find ways to let it intrude on our lives. It turns a small incident into a big deal. It keeps us at a lower level. Go beyond your comfort zone The sales reps that go beyond their comfort zone are the ones who typically thrive but this requires you to put yourself in an uncomfortable position. It requires you to take the big leap. How can you achieve your sales success? How can you go to the next level of your sales performance? In this pandemic, some of you may have already set your proverbial glass ceilings. You may have decided that your opportunities are limited and convinced yourself that you’re not going to be successful in this current season. The truth is, sometimes the worse things happen because we stop taking action. Are you showing up on time for virtual meetings? In what areas are you showing a lack of effort? The Sales Evangelists are still offering the same services now as they did before. The organization, however, is receiving more opportunities, even with this pandemic. Donald realized that this was because he didn’t limit what he could do as a leader of the organization. Constantly look for areas to improve There is always room for success when you break through the ceiling. This may be through prospecting, your LinkedIn outreach, or your social selling. Whatever those limits are, go beyond them, and position yourself as someone who can solve the problems of your ideal customers. It’s not easy to take the big leap, especially if you are making big changes, but there’s no other way except to break through the limitations you’ve set. Be the person who can solve the problem for your ideal customer. #SalesSolution “The One Thing Holding You Back From Massive Success” episode resources If you are interested in more sales stories, you can talk to Donald directly. Reach him via these channels: LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook about any sales concerns. This episode is brought to you in part by Intherrupt, a podcast that is all about empowering women leaders. Every episode, Linda Yates interviews some of the most intriguing women in the business world and finds out what they do to be able to gain an opportunity in the business world. The podcast launches on August 24 and if you want to get on an early adopters list, go to www.salespodcastnetwork.com/intherrupt. This course is also brought to you in part by TSE Certified Sales Training Program. It’s a course designed to help new and struggling sellers to master the fundamentals of sales and close more deals. It will help them elevate their sales game. Sign up now and get the first two modules for free! You can go and visit www.thesalesevangelist.com/closemoredeals also call us at (561) 570-5077. We’d love for you to join us for our next episodes so tune in on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, and Spotify. You can also leave comments, suggestions, and ratings to every episode you listen to. You can also read more about sales or listen to audiobooks on Audible and explore this huge online library. Register now to get a free book and a 30-day free trial. Audio provided by Free SFX and Bensound. Other songs used in the episodes are as follows: The Organ Grinder written by Bradley Jay Hill, performed by Bright Seed, and Produced by Brightseed and Hill.Mentioned in this episode:HubSpot and bluëmago | STUDIOSHubSpot and bluëmago | STUDIOS hubpspot.com/marketers bluemangostudios.com

Use virtual tools to do more, in less time, with better outcomes Out of necessity, we are moving into a digital world in which almost every step of the sales process involves the use of virtual tools. The challenge is, not all salespeople know how to use these virtual tools and it’s inhibiting sales growth. Jeb Blount has been doing virtual sales since 2015. As he recognized the increasing need for sellers to be tech-savvy, he wrote Virtual Selling and realized that there is so much more than integrating videos in the sales process. Virtual sales include integrating all the virtual communication tools, both the synchronous and asynchronous. The question was how to utilize all these virtual tools for sales and blend these into a viable way to sell and prospect. We say “blend” because face-to-face selling isn’t always available, especially in this season of people’s social distancing. Being able to use virtual tools makes the sales process more efficient and productive. Virtual calls, for example, is a good prospecting technique. Instead of getting on a traditional call, try getting your potential client on a video conference. Face-to-face offers a better opportunity to build a relationship with your prospect. You can also save time with a virtual call because you don’t have to travel for a meeting. This frees up time to manage other activities in the sales process. The more people you get to talk to, the bigger your pipeline will be. Virtual tools are starting to reshape the way we think about selling as these tools help in shortening the sales cycle and improving closing ratios. Changes in the sales methods The great recession brought about the existence of BDR and SDR. Now, with the pandemic, the landscape of sales is changing again. We have to make changes in the process and technology is the answer. Necessity is the mother of virtual selling but not all salespeople are keen on using technology. Even Gen Zs and millennials are struggling to use technology in effectively running omnichannel. Salespeople have to learn to adapt and adjust to stay competitive. People who are looking to go virtual have to learn new skills like email etiquette and working with a camera. Fear of being in front of the camera, and speaking to an online audience, has to be overcome. Familiarity isn’t something that comes easy without face-to-face conversation. With people becoming more tech-savvy, however, you can achieve the same level of familiarity using social selling and personal branding. Ask prospects if they would be interested in a video call. You will be amazed by the number of clients who jump at the opportunity. Organizations need to teach their reps that virtual calling and using virtual tools for selling is the closest facsimile to face-to-face. There are now multiple ways to build and create relationships. Studies show that there is almost a 50% increase in closing when someone is able to see a face, even virtually. Internet traffic is rising. It’s projected that in a couple of years, 86% of the traffic will come from videos. HubSpot also did a study on prospecting and video messaging. The study revealed that video messaging is a powerful virtual tool as it increases email conversation rates to 400%. Video is king. Are you part of this selling process? #VideoSales Learning video calls etiquette You may not be comfortable facing the camera but that can be remedied. It’s important to consider perfect framing so that your clients can see you properly. Position yourself so your clients can see your hands as trust is built when hands are visible. When you’re talking to the client, lift your hands up, make gestures, and don’t be afraid to emote with your hands. If you’re able, you can stand up. You can create depth by leaning forward or stepping back. You can use your body to attract attention. A study revealed that people look at themselves 70% of the time when on a video call. This is something salespeople should avoid. Instead of looking at yourself, look at the camera in order to be perceived as making eye contact. Because of the limitations of video calls, you want to be mindful of projecting in a way that builds trust. Consider investing in good quality equipment to ensure high-quality video call content. As you’re able, you can hire people to set-up your mini studio but know that you don't have to wait for that as you learn, practice, and build your skillset. Choosing the right virtual tool for sales Productivity comes from choosing the right communication channel that will give you your desired outcome while spending the least amount of time and energy. This current season is a good time for sales leaders and CEOs to take their entire sales process and research the best communication channels so their sales reps can meet buyers wherever they are. This would allow sales reps to be more productive, make more sales calls, and reduce the total cost of the sale. Combining video messaging with direct messaging such as Wh

Using Trello to Manage Business and Sales Efforts Trello is an emerging platform that helps their customers manage and organize tasks. On one screen, Trello is an amazing “white board” that shows your to do list, doing list, and done list, especially when you have multiple projects and ideas being generated at once. How do you use Trello so you can focus more efforts driving sales? Check out this episode. Brittany Joiner is a self-proclaimed Trello nerd as she’s been using the program for about a decade. She works full-time in marketing and is learning programming on the side. Productivity has always been something she’s passionate about learning more of. Since she saw the movie, Cheaper by the Dozen as a kid, she’s loved the satisfaction brought about by efficiency. Brittany has been using Trello as a tool to organize all aspects of her life and it’s been a great help in keeping track of all her tasks and schedules in one place while keeping other team members in the loop about what’s going on. Trello helps her accomplish all the things that need to be done. Defining productivity There’s no magic bullet when it comes to tips and tricks about how to increase productivity. What makes people productive is different for everyone. For example, one of the most common pieces of advice that is offered by experts is to wake up early, but some people are night owls and are actually more productive in the evenings. With the pandemic going on, people have been working from their homes and have the biggest opportunity to be able to set their work around how and when they want to do their tasks. It’s a great way to experiment with scheduling to see when the most work is getting done. Trello and productivity Trello helps with general productivity. David Allen, the author of Getting Things Done, said that the mind is for generating ideas, not for holding on to them. The mind makes an effort when it keeps track of what needs to get done and this is where Trello can be of tremendous help. It’s a tool that allows you to organize all your thoughts so your brain can process better and creatively connect the dots. The brain can then solve the problems instead of just holding onto information. Think of Trello as a digital whiteboard with lists and sticky notes on steroids. Each card acts like a sticky note. You can add checklists, due dates, members, labels, automation pieces, and so much more. Trello is where you organize your ideas and make them accessible anytime you need them. Brittany’s Trello system consists of three categories: To Do, Doing, and Done. She moves her tasks through these cards depending on what she’s accomplished and then completed. She also has a backlog of ideas she calls an “idea inbox.” It’s where she puts her ideas and what she needs to work on for the week. She organizes this at the beginning of each week and it’s these lists that prompt her week’s activities. Satisfaction from getting things done It feels amazing to know you are getting things done and when you are able to move a card from To Do to Done. Trello has a new feature where confetti is sprinkled across the screen when you move one card to another. Brittany has added a Yay list where she puts all the accomplishments she wants to remember. Among them, launching a website and creating a blog post. It’s also possible to archive cards and tasks so you can document what you’ve already finished and still keep track of them even when they’re no longer visible on your board. Challenges in sales in terms of productivity According to Brittany, one of the biggest challenges is being able to take a task and apply it across the board for all team members and prospects. It can be difficult to manage and apply specific items to everyone. For example, you may find a task working for you but it’s still hard to be consistent with each person you’re following up with. If that’s the case, you can add a follow-up checklist to your card and apply this checklist to all your lead cards. With a standard sales process, you don’t have to worry about what you did and didn’t do with this particular lead. You can just check off the boxes you completed with your clients. Another challenge in sales is the fact that many salespeople want to do sales and not the admin work. This may be true not only for people in sales, but in general. Trello has a card-repeater powerup. What it does is you can automate your card and make it pop up every Monday, or any day you want it to appear. You can also put a habit tracker to your Trello board with reminders for LinkedIn building, sales outreach, and more. Be productive Managing contacts is a struggle for many salespeople. Crmble, a plugin for Trello, is a good tool to manage your contacts and move them through your sales pipeline. It is better than a spreadsheet. You can use Crmble, set up your list, and customize it. Each contact is a card and you can import them from CSV. You can set it up automatically to sync with your form. If you

The Number 1 Reason You Hear "I'm Not Interested" Of course salespeople like to hear positive responses from their prospects but it’s not always the case. Sometimes prospects say, “I’m not interested.” Why do you hear that? Is there something wrong with your pitch? Listen to this episode and understand what prospects are thinking when they say they’re not interested. Donald has worked with hundreds of sales reps,has coached a variety of individuals, trained organizations, and he’s been on countless sales phone calls. All those experiences have taught him many things. Donald’s latest lesson came from seeing Disney’s, The Princess and the Frog. The story of Tiana and the Frog In the story, Tiana lives in Louisiana and has a dream of creating an amazing restaurant with her dad. She wants to do something with her life and have a purpose. Eventually, however, she gets turned into a frog. The prince in the story also gets turned into a frog. Together, they begin their quest to find the witch that turned them into frogs so they can be turned back to humans. Along the way, they come across an alligator who’s good at playing the trumpet, and the frog prince asks the alligator for help. The alligator tells them about a witch doctor that can help but the frogs don’t know how to get there. When Tiana asks the alligator to take them, he refuses and goes back to playing the trumpet. The frog prince realizes they messed up their pitch and so he tries again. He goes back to the alligator and asks him about his challenges. To this, the alligator replies that it’s hard to play trumpet in front of people because they just run away. Upon hearing this, the frog prince then redirects his pitch. He asks the alligator to come with them in the hopes of being turned into a human as well. This time, he decides to join them! The frog prince was able to reframe the offer so the alligator could see the benefit to himself. In relation to sales That story speaks to the platinum rule in sales - to treat others the way they would like to be treated and to tell them things that they want to hear. The focus should always be about the prospect or client with the goal of giving them what they want and need. Tiana asked for good will but didn’t offer any benefit. The prince got results because he focused on what the alligator desired. The same is true when prospecting for a sale. When he saw the movie, Donald realized there were times as an account executive that he’d reached out to a prospect and led with Me, My, and I. He’d talked about his company and what they’d been doing. Nothing in his pitch was about the buyer. He eventually learned to flip it around and prioritized what they needed and wanted the most. That made all the difference. Figuring out what they want One of the easiest ways to figure out what a customer wants is to search for their job title on LinkedIn. You can also go to indeed.com. Try searching for what their responsibilities are. For example, if you see your prospect is a marketing director, search for that job title on LinkedIn. You’ll see that their job is to get traffic to their site, to bring inbound leads, bring in prospects that their sales reps can talk to, and eventually buy their product. If you call them and talk to them about your company, they’ll only listen to the first 10 seconds of your call before you hear, “I’m not interested.” As a sales rep, your job is to reach out to them with a point of reference. Connect with them via LinkedIn using the omnichannel approach. When you’ve done that, then you’re ready to make the call. “Hey Mike, we connected on LinkedIn last week....” Position yourself as a person with whom they’re already acquainted. You’ve already moved through the threat barrier on LinkedIn, so now you can present them a solution they want. For the previous marketing director example, you could say, “I was looking at what you’re doing. If there’s a way I could show you how to get 10-15% more leads coming into your website, would you be open to hearing what we can do for you?” Provide a story loop to get his attention first before you ask your qualifying questions. Then you can set up that next appointment. The old way of doing a pitch where you present your company, and all the great things you’ve accomplished, doesn’t work anymore. Now we figure out what the clients need and present a solution that benefits them. Client-centered, not sales rep-centered Your goal is to focus on what the buyer wants, use your questioning skills, and make them the center of the sales process. There is no deception when you are trying to grab their attention to solve their problem. If you’re not going into a deeper discussion, then you won’t get a close. Bring value to deepen the conversation. Provide what the prospect needs. If you’re trying to grab a prospect’s attention to solve a problem, there's no deception in that. #SalesTruth “The Number 1 Reason You Hear "I'm Not Interested"” episode resources If you are inter

How a Power Dialer Streamlines Your Sales Process and Improves Productivity Power dialers improve your sales process and productivity. As a salesperson, have you given this any thought? Listen to this episode to help you decide if a power dialer will help you in your business. Sean Leonard is the founder of FunnelFLARE and the CEO of Jump Demand. One of their products is FunnelFLARE and the other is a marketing automation platform. Sean has a background in long sales cycle sales, specifically in the process automation where they are selling automation software. Interestingly, it didn’t start in sales and marketing but in manufacturing. In his early days, he was selling industrial software for manufacturing mainly in process control. Automation really played a huge part to help scale the marketing cycle. They started Jump Demand with the goal of helping people automate customer acquisition. They use FunnelFLARE for sales enablement. The issue in sales Sales is about the highest paid hard work and the lowest paid easy work. All salespeople want to sell more and they are highly motivated to do that. The reality is 80% of the salesperson’s revenue comes from 20% of their activities. This means that 80% of the time sales reps are not doing revenue-generating tasks. Sales is a contact sport so we have to become proficient in making calls. Every sales organization wants its staff to talk to people and be helpful. The idea behind Sean’s products is to help salespeople reduce the effort in making calls. The second issue Sean was looking at is the CRM. He thinks that it’s purposely built to help salespeople succeed. There are so many CRMs out there and the evolution of the tool has been advantageous for everyone on the sales team as it helps them manage their projects and opportunities. Sean and his team found that many salespeople were spending so much time trying to add to the CRM that they were also spending more time outside of the CRM. They were having to bounce from one app to the other. These tasks included logging the calls, putting together a strategy throughout the day, updating the CRM, and integrating the information into the calls that the salespeople make. Sean’s efforts enable sales reps to do their work in the CRM and reduce the effort that’s spent in using the CRM. The goal is to keep members of the organization have lots of documented opportunities while still being able to maintain a relationship with people. Defining power dialer Power Dialer for Sean is basically what he is doing with the CRM. It’s a list of people that he has bulk edited and flagged for his calling session. They use a Chrome extension where a dialog box appears when they click the extension. The dialog box has a pre-loaded name of the person from the flagged list. The idea behind the power dialer is that it allows you to make calls efficiently and with greater speed. With Power Dialer the numbers are automatically selected when you make a call. The numbers are local numbers from the region because that typically gets a better hit rate. You can put a tracking script on the website. These are prospect insights and account insights, tabs that sales reps can quickly check. This gives them the idea of what their prospects have been up to. While the call is going on, Sean’s system records the call and builds a transcript of the call. When the call has ended, your next move is to do a follow-up email. Sean’s team has a pop-up email template that their teams can use. They also add commentary relating to the recent call to personalize the emails. When you’re ready to make the next call, you can also drop an automated voicemail if the call isn’t picked up. The good thing about the system is that sales reps can make changes to the metadata. You can add notes that are applied when reloaded and the notes are saved automatically. The transcripts are also saved in the CRM as notes. This makes the call process more efficient and there’s no typing and updating involved. The data are automatically loaded into the CRM. Personalized voicemail vs non-personalized voicemail If you are making follow-up calls with your existing clients, or with people that are late into the sales process, your voicemail has to be personalized. In this case you can’t drop a voicemail that was pre-recorded. It's different when you have a warm lead. You can choose to create a follow-up email or an SMS. Oftentimes, SMS has more traction because people are flooded with emails on a daily basis. Sean usually loads up SMS and sends them to prospects before making calls. This is for the prospects to know who is going to call them. The magic in the voicemail lies in the follow-up email. When you email, give them a link to your appointment scheduler and let them when they should anticipate your next call. If you are talking to someone late in the sales process, you must personalize the message. #SalesPersonalization Cadence Automation Aside from the Power Dialer, Sean’s team also

How I Creatively Booked Meetings Using Video With people being more isolated, the trend of how to set appointments is changing. Salespeople need to be more creative about how to get a prospect’s attention, such as using videos. This episode will be about using this approach to make you stand out from the crowd and get that meeting. Frank Weshcler works for a company called Dynamic Signal. They started in San Bruno but for the last two years, the company has branched out to Chicago. It is a communications and engagement platform to help enterprises and commercial size companies. The journey toward creating videos When Frank was still interviewing with Dynamic Signal, he was asked how comfortable he was in front of the camera. With video creation being part of their outreach, he needed to be able to do quick 30-second dynamic video clips where he could introduce himself and create a pitch. With his theater background, he was immediately comfortable and got started making videos. Use your creativity Frank’s company uses Vidyard, a video platform that integrates with their sales platform. It helps them find videos easily, attaches them into emails, and sends them. Frank has been very creative in all his videos. In one of his videos he ate the restaurant's hottest wings, with triple sauce, and recorded himself pitching to the client while his mouth was on fire! Despite the fact he was coughing and choking, he pressed on. The client loved it, sent it out to their entire team, and Frank got a meeting. For him, it was worth it! Keep in mind, the meeting took time and follow-up. After not hearing from the prospect after the initial video, he reached out again with another video, but without the wings this time, to ask if the client had seen the video. It was then that Frank was able to solidify the meeting. Don’t be discouraged after just one touch. Clients get busy. The formula in creating a video There is no one formula in creating a video but you can do the research to find the connective niche angle that will be the focus of your pitch. For a sports car company, Frank made a video of himself building one of their cars out of Legos in his workshop using his GoPro. He titled it “I Made Your Car in My Workshop” and it became click-worthy for the client. The video was tied into their brand and interest. Put yourself in your client’s shoes. What would make something click-worthy for you? When you create a video, tie it into the prospect’s brand or the contact’s personal interests. #SalesVideos How to use videos Frank loves using videos as an ice-breaker. He often sends a video for the first or second touch depending on who he is reaching out to. After the video, the next step is getting on the phone. If he still doesn’t get a response, he sends another follow-up video just to remind them of his first video. If he still doesn’t get a reply, he lets it go. Research plays a huge part in the process of making a video. In this stage of the process, your job is to create an idea that will be relatable to them. What are the prospect’s interests or hobbies? What are their favorite sports teams? Here is where you can use LinkedIn and other social media platforms to dig deep. Frank discovered one prospect was a slam poet so he made a slam poetry video. Use your videos to personalize your pitch in a way your competition hasn’t. Through your efforts, you ‘re making your introductory video a cut above the rest. The bane in video creation Not all people are using videos for their pitch and introduction because not all salespeople are comfortable in front of the camera. The trend in sales, however, is going more toward videos as salespeople are now using Zoom in their videoconferencing. Hopefully through Zoom salespeople are getting more comfortable being in front of the camera and will take advantage of this video trend as it gains popularity. Frank had never heard utilized video prospecting before joining Dynamic Signal but he’s learned the huge advantage of personalization through this mode of communication. As the use of Zoom progresses, using video prospecting may soon become the norm. Don’t limit yourself. “How I Creatively Booked Meetings Using Video” episode resources Connect with Frank via his LinkedIn account. You can also email him at [email protected] or call him at 847-521-0366. If you are interested in more sales stories, you can talk to Donald directly. Reach him via these channels: LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook about any sales concerns. This episode is brought to you in part by Crmble, the easy-peasy CRM for Trello that helps you manage your contacts and leads without investing in complicated solutions, sync all your data, manage custom fields, and get powerful reporting on your sales. Try Crmble now for free at www.crmble.com/tse. This course is also brought to you in part by TSE Certified Sales Training Program. It’s a course designed to help new and struggling sellers to master the fundamen

10 things new sellers should avoid doing We all make mistakes from time to time but you can’t avoid them if you don’t know they’re mistakes. In this episode, Donald will share 10 mistakes he’s made so you he’s made so you don’t have to. Mistake #1: Being pushy People hate pushy sales reps. These are the ones that are often associated with being a stereotypical “used car salesperson.” This makes buyers feel like they are being tricked into making a purchase. Buyers nowadays are educated, prepared, and they are familiar with the tactics that sellers use. These days, buyers have different options and can go somewhere else if they don’t feel you have their best interest at heart. Buyers want to move toward sellers who can educate them to make the best decision, as opposed to someone who is trying to push them into an option they don’t really need. . Pushy sellers are those who are trying to hit their own deadlines and quotas without taking into account what’s best for their customer. They have abandoned the whole idea of empathy. Mistake #2: Not listening We’ve all heard that we have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak … but not everyone takes this to heart. Donald was taught early on that he should only speak about 30-40% of the time. The rest of the time should be spent listening. New sellers have the notion that the more you talk, the more convincing you get. Actually, the opposite is true. Great sellers spend their time asking effective questions. When you research and come prepared with questions buyers can respond to, it helps them see you’re more engaged. For example, ask questions pertaining to their business or personal interests . It’s during these conversations that the prospect will tell you how to sell to them. Having two ears and one mouth should tell you to listen twice as much as you speak. #SalesListening Mistake #3: Saying “Tell me more about your business” Don’t ask a buyer about their business when there’s so much information available over the internet. Do your research before the meeting. The buyer shouldn’t have to waste their time educating you about their business. You don’t want to be caught less informed than your competition. Instead, ask them questions that pertain to their services and about the challenges their company may be trying to overcome. Mistake #4: Lying Nobody likes a liar. As a seller, you have an idea about what numbers you want to hit. Regardless of what that might be, when the buyer asks for the price, don’t tell them you don’t know if you can give them a margin to work with. Help the buyer make a decision that’s in their best interest by offering great value first, then talk price. If you truly don’t know the answer to a critical question, let them know you’ll get back to them. Just don’t lie. The buyer will appreciate your authenticity. Mistake #5: Not taking No as an answer You want to help people but you can’t force them to get your products or services. Sales work is very much like baseball. Not every swing turns into a home run. Sometimes you’re just going to get to first base or hit a line drive. The same is true with your prospects. You want to give your best but when a buyer says no, you can ask a follow-up question to make sure it’s not a problem you can solve. If it’s just not a good time, don’t be pushy and revisit down the road. Mistake #6: Not knowing the buyer’s true needs It’s best to meet a client with some understanding of their needs and how you can offer solutions or better alternatives. The last thing a buyer wants is to deal with a salesperson who has no idea how to help them solve their problems. Try to understand the pain points of their business. The more you understand them, the more you’ll be able to add value. Case studies and testimonials can offer great insight to how problems can be solved or what the problem is. These can be found in your own company’s files, through your competitors, or your prospect’s website. Look at some of the training and videos. Look at their case studies and read on the challenges they solve for their buyers. The last thing a buyer wants is to deal with a salesperson who has no idea how to help them solve their problems. Mistake #7: Being late for meetings When you set up an appointment, make sure to show up on time and don’t miss appointments. Buyers are busy and being late is a bad first impression. Be diligent with your scheduling and don’t stack appointments if you can’t follow through. Learn how to organize your time in a way that you will have extra time to prepare for your next appointment. Calculate in your travel time, the time you need to prepare your slides, and anything else that will take up precious minutes. Be careful too of being too early and creating a burden for the client. Be there early enough to set up and then be ready to go by the time the client gets there. Mistake #8: Not keeping your word This mistake ties closely to the previous one. For example, if

How to Virtually Forge Deep Connections With Prospects The pandemic has changed the methods of prospecting. Sales is still about connecting with people on a personal level but with so many people doing business virtually now, sales reps have to be able to do this without getting to see people in “the real world.” Steve Herz is the president of the Montag Group, a talent agency specializing in representing sportscasters, TV newscasters, weathermen radio personalities, podcast hosts, and more. Over the last four years, however, Steve has also become a coach to executive CEOs and anyone who wants to improve their communication skills to close more deals. Don’t Take Yes for an Answer Steve’s book is Don’t Take Yes for an Answer. The title might seem odd to a salesperson whose livelihood depends on a yes. In this case, Steve means that he doesn’t want people to be surrounded by the yeses that keep them stuck in mediocrity. It impedes your improvement. For example, Steve was in his second year of law school, and he was one of the 30 kids working at a big law firm in New York City. By the end of summer, he was facing a verdict of either getting an offer or not. The first 29 people ahead of him received an offer. Steve did not. The managing partner told him that he didn’t have the right skill set for the job and it was suggested he go into sales, start his own company, and come back to the firm as a client. Steve reflected on this advice and it changed the trajectory of his life. This is the story behind the title of his book. He was given a life-changing no and it was the best thing for him! Steve quotes Barry Summers, who has had great success on Wall Street, who said, “The second best thing to a Yes in the business is a fast No.” Striving for the best version of you It isn’t your job to say yes. Your job is to bring out the honesty from people around you. Be okay with the no that will push you to become better. Show up with a healthy vulnerability that reflects your interest in growing and learning. If you strive to get better everyday you open the door to a better version of yourself. This positions you to connect with people who may become your mentors. Successful salesman vs a great salesman To be great in sales, you need to believe you can be a success. This comes from genuinely serving the needs of others. Be someone who knows that you are going to do your very best for the person who has entrusted their needs with you. For example, if you’re selling insurance in Florida and you know the property is prone to flooding, let the homeowners know about it. If something catastrophic happens, get them a stay in a hotel and get their house rebuilt. Exceed the expectations of a client and care about the outcome. Forging the connection Steve believes that people can still forge great connections with people, even in this virtual environment. Before the pandemic, a salesperson may have made 30 phone calls but with the pandemic, may be connecting only half as much but now, it’s on Zoom. Seeing the person face-to-face has a different effect than just speaking with them on the phone. Making eye contact, even virtually, and makes the connection much deeper, especially when you’re able to discuss their life, their interests, and their needs. Stumbling blocks in using Zoom When you’re able to Zoom, set aside time to do what needs to be accomplished. Five minutes is not going to be enough. Instead, set aside thirty minutes per call so you have a chance to get to know what’s important to your potential client. Get to understand their reasons for being in the industry they’re in. If you spend the time getting to know people, eventually, enough of those people will have a need for what you’re offering. Steve has been in the business for 25 years and many of his customers/clients have stayed with him for that 25-year period. He isn’t aiming for short-term business. Steve believes that the best customers are your current customers and maintaining them while getting new ones by referral is a great way to grow your business. The authentic body language As a salesperson, you need to be confident and comfortable in your own body language. Be relaxed, have good posture, and maintain eye contact. During a sales meeting make it a habit to be professional but authentic. You want there to be a consistency of behavior throughout your life so you can show up to prospects comfortably. Oftentimes, we don’t even know we have bad habits. You can correct that with the help of your colleagues, friends, or family members who can be an extra set of eyes on what could be improved upon. Make it a habit to sit up straight and have good eye contact so it becomes natural when you’re in front of people. #SalesPosture Be perceptive and acknowledge others Make sure that the person you’re talking to feels welcome. Look at the conversation from the other person’s perspective and ask yourself: -What do they want out of this? -What is their point of view? -How

What To Do When a Customer Says “Not Yet” To Closing We’ve all gotten a “not yet” from a prospect and it can be frustrating having that delay in closing. In this episode we’ll look at how to move from “not yet” to yes. Jeff Shore is a salesperson at heart and has been in the industry for a number of years. He started his sales career in real estate but for the last 20 years, he’s been at Shore Consulting. Jeff works with companies large and small all around the world. He is also a published author and is getting ready to launch his 10th book. He used to look at sales from the perspective of the salesperson but now, he’s looking at how a buyer buys. Instead of reading sales books, he reads psychology books to know what’s going on in the mind during the sales process that leads to the decisions people make. Salespeople are sales counselors because they get to the root of the problem before they try to provide any kind of solution. This is the heartbeat of sales. We understand the customers’ problems and we try to offer them the best solution. On writing his books As an author, Jeff understands he has to live a book before he writes it. Jeff knows it’s not just about the sale. The follow up is just as important and Jeff is passionate about learning everything he can. He wants us all to know the greatest lessons are in how to serve customers and learning how we can add value after the initial presentation. This is what Jeff’s book is about. The inability to follow-up Not following up comes down to two things: I can’t do it or I won’t do it. This is both an ability and a motivation issue. If you don’t know how, find someone to help you or a resource that can teach you. Motivation entails having the right mindset. The challenges today The two biggest problems in doing follow-up are that salespeople are often too slow and/or too impersonal. Speed and personalization are the superpowers that salespeople have at their disposal. The faster they serve, the more that they are able to share the message that they care. These days, people equate speed with care. If you can combine speed and personalization, you’re already 98% ahead from other salespeople who just rely on their CRM to kick out a generic email 24-hours after the initial conversation. Getting back in touch adds value and this is the first step in building a relationship with prospects. The second step is being personal. We all get numerous emails in a week and they come in many forms. If salespeople spent any meaningful time online, they would see there is plenty of accessible information to personalize correspondence and it would make all the difference. Jeff got an email from a person who just took a photo of himself holding a piece of paper that said, “Hi, Jeff!” He knew then that the email was for him. He got Jeff’s attention and Jeff couldn’t deny him a reply. They didn’t close a deal but it got a response and that is a huge part of the battle. The need to follow-up Many salespeople are doing follow-up because of the fear of getting in trouble with their bosses. If the CRM has holes in it, then the sales reps can just blame it on the system. This isn’t enough. A sales rep has to see the importance and value behind the follow-up. Your starting point should be asking yourself how you can add value to the prospect. You need a better motivation to do the follow-up than just your boss. Don’t get eliminated There are two types of elimination: active elimination and the passive elimination. Active elimination is when a product or service isn’t a good fit. Passive elimination happens when you fall off from the prospects’ radar and become forgettable. The longer time you wait to do a follow-up, the longer period it will be that you go without having a conversation with them. This lack of communication destroys relationships. This has something to do with a psychological phenomenon called emotional altitude. Human beings are emotional creatures. We make emotion-based decisions but we buy more with our gut. About 85% of the purchasing decisions we have are instinctive or intuitive and only 15% is based on logic and supported by data. In a sales conversation, a prospect can start hyped up and excited. That feeling of excitement doesn’t last. Time has a way of decreasing that emotional altitude. The role of the follow-up ensures that the emotional attitude stays up. It helps to maintain an emotional engagement. When to stop The best time to stop doing a follow-up is when the prospect no longer thinks you’re adding value. Your goal in doing follow-up is to add value and be on their radar to solve future problems. Have structure in your follow-up and you put yourself in a position where you can give what they need over and over again. Be the first person that comes to mind when a need arises. Your mission isn’t just to follow-up but to follow-up and close. #ClosingADeal Adding value using a video follow-up Videos are effective and the amount of value you can build in

5 Things All Sellers Should Do Before Prospecting Many salespeople find prospecting daunting. Prospecting is one of the most critical actions a sales rep can do to develop leads.Donald has worked with many salespeople and he still sees sales reps who don’t prepare as much as they should when prospecting. Even people who are high in the organizational chart need to prospect. In this episode, Donald is sharing 5 actions that all sellers should take before prospecting. Set goals Plan ahead of time Focus on your list Do your research and find the right information about your prospects Have the proper mindset Setting your goals You must have a goal whenever you prospect. Having a goal allows you to have focused action in the time you’ve set aside for prospecting. Set a goal for how many prospects you want to contact in your scheduled time frame. Evaluate what you want to achieve. For example: Do you plan on getting three new prospects? Are you setting two new appointments? Will you be making X number of calls? To stay accountable, you can share your goals with somebody on your team. By doing this, you have someone to check on whether or not you’ve achieved your goals. For additional accountability, you can also check out The Sales Evangelizers, on Facebook and LinkedIn, to talk with the other sales reps who share similar goals. Plan it For many sales reps, prospecting can be treated as an afterthought. The best approach to prospecting is to have an action. Block out the time on your calendar and treat it as sacred so you can focus on your prospecting efforts. Use your dedicated time for prospecting and focus your efforts on that. Don’t use this time to check company emails, Facebook notifications,or LinkedIn. Sales reps need to prepare more than you think you should. #SalesPreparedness Focus on your list Before you prospect, build a list first. Regardless of the tool you use,putting together this clearly defined list should be part of the planning process. Use LinkedIn or some other software or company to make sure the information is updated so you’re not wasting time when it’s time to make contact. Clean up the data beforehand so you make the most of your time prospecting Do basic research Donald uses a three by three approach when doing research about a new prospect: He finds three things about the prospect within three minutes using LinkedIn or their own company site. Some of this information includes their position or roles in the company, any new acquisition, new announcements in the company, new promotions, and more. You can use the information you gathered when you’re reaching out to them to personalize the correspondence. In your research, you can find out their roles and vary your approaches accordingly. Depending on the positions they have in their organization, you can adjust the value proposition. Research can take time but it’s worth it. If you need to, ask for help from the members of your sales team or marketing and sales research departments. The Mindset Meditating is one of the best ways to prepare yourself for the day. It’s a time where you can get quiet and focus. Get into the zone and picture your success. Professional athletes spend thousands of dollars on coaches to help them get the right mindset so they can stay top of their game. You can join Donald’s mastermind classes as they have sales reps from a variety of fields who come together and partner with us. There, you can find accountability, support, and guidance. To join, check out the website at www.thesalesevangelist.com/mastermind to fill out an application. Getting your right mind is critical for your success. You need the mindset and belief you can get those appointments and close the deals. “5 Things All Sellers Should Do Before Prospecting” episode resources If you are interested in more sales stories, you can talk to Donald directly. Reach him via these channels: LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook about any sales concerns. This episode is brought to you in part by Crmble, the easy-peasy CRM for Trello that helps you manage your contacts and leads without investing in complicated solutions, sync all your data, manage custom fields, and get powerful reporting on your sales. Try Crmble now for free at www.crmble.com/tse. This course is also brought to you in part by TSE Certified Sales Training Program. It’s a course designed to help new and struggling sellers to master the fundamentals of sales and close more deals. It will help them elevate their sales game. Sign up now and get the first two modules for free! You can go and visit www.thesalesevangelist.com/closemoredeals also call us at (561) 570-5077. We’d love for you to join us for our next episodes so tune in on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, and Spotify. You can also leave comments, suggestions, and ratings to every episode you listen to. You can also read more about sales or listen to audiobooks on Audible and explore this huge online library. Register now

What To Do When a Prospect "Ghosts" You During these uncertain times salespeople can feel they are being “ghosted” by prospects. Someone who once seemed like a potential client has vanished with what seems like no hope of reconnecting. When this happens, what can you do? You’ll find answers in this episode. Rian Laniga graduated college and moved to Australia for a year. When he went back to Ireland, he started his career in sales. After working for other companies, he decided to start his agency to help B2B sales leaders get themselves in front of people more regularly. Rian is working with clients all over the globe including Singapore, Ireland, England, and the United States. Defining ghosting Ghosting is not simply sending an email and not hearing or getting a response. Ghosting is more of already having a meeting with them, arranging for a follow-up, and then they didn’t show up. It’s when you’ve reached out to them multiple times but you didn’t hear a response. It’s not a one and done deal. Why you may have been ghosted When you feel you’ve been ghosted the first question people ask themselves is why. One of the ways people make it easy for others to treat them this way is that sales reps aren’t deliberate about sharing next steps with prospects. Prospects need to know what to expect after having that initial contact and you need to know if you have someone who sincerely wants to continue a relationship with you. Salespeople can mistakenly believe they have a new client when all they hear is positive feedback. Rian suggests, however, that if you hear positive words, you may need to worry. Positive words don’t mean the prospect has decided to move forward with you. As the sales rep, come up with next steps that can be mutually agreed upon so you both know where you stand. . The calendar invite Rian’s next suggestion is to get your prospects to accept the calendar invite. You can’t expect them to turn into a call if you don’t send them an invitation first. Many salespeople tend to forget this step. People nowadays hate to go to meetings so it’s important you get on their schedule so there’s a lesser chance of cancelation. It’s more important that you ask for time than a meeting. Always ask for more time than you need so when you finish early, you’re able to give their time back to them. You’re Hero of the Day! To get on the calendar initially, Rian asks prospects to open up their calendar while he’s with them so they can look at availability together. Once the prospect offers a date and time, you can push back and offer an alternative date and time to appear a busy person. The important thing is for them to confirm on their calendar. The next step is a little bolder. After confirming the schedule with them, ask if there is anything that might keep them from making it to the meeting. It lets the prospect know that you’ve scheduled meetings before and you understand things can happen. This can be an unusual occurrence, especially for people who are high up the chain such as CEOs but don’t be afraid of challenging the status quo. Make No an acceptable answer Receiving a no isn’t always a bad thing because it frees you up to chase the yeses.This is one of the biggest lessons Rian has learned. There are three possible outcomes from a phone call that you have with your prospects: Yes, No, or a Referral. Rian has learned to ask which one it will be by the end of the call. What makes it easier is when he takes his prospect to Starbucks, Rian says if they close a deal, he’ll pay for coffee. If they don’t, the client gets to pay. At the end of the meeting Rian asks who’s paying for coffee. If the answer is, “The coffee is on you today,” Rian then knows that he’s just closed a deal. As a sales rep, expect to hear a no but understand, It’s typically not a “forever no” but a “no, not now.” Don’t take anything personally At the end of the day don’t take anything as personal. It’s just business. Know that there’s a difference between your identity and your role and a rejection doesn’t define who you are or your value. It’s important you know the distinction. You can lose a sale and still be an outstanding person. On the other hand, don’t be afraid of making it big. You need to be bold and do what others may think is impossible. With confidence and a great mindset, you can! Buyers are trying to gauge if the deal is worth the risk or not. You have a higher chance of closing if the rep believes you believe in yourself and in your product. Reconnecting with the prospects One thing you can do to reconnect with a prospect, is to use a different platform. Rian will initially reapproach with a private message once he finds the prospect. Rian understands people can have a change in circumstances such as losing their jobs, moving to another company, and more. Investigate the reasons that may have nothing to do with you. Another technique Rian will use is telling the prospect that if they don’t respond, he’ll go ahead and close

How a Steady Referral Rate Generated More Than 900 Authentic Testimonials A great way to increase the longevity of any business or sales career is to have great referrals. In this episode, we’ll explore the evolution of referrals and the stages of you can move through to receive authentic and quality testimonials and referrals. Amber Vilhauer is the owner of the company called NGNG Enterprises, which stands for No Guts, No Glory, a phrase that her mother used as she was growing up. It reminds Amber to face her fears as she navigates the online world. A large part of NGNG Enterprises’ work includes developing high-performance websites. Amber understands websites are the hub and heart of a business and her goal is for people to land on your website and to experience you. In order to do that, the video has become a big part of their marketing strategy so the connection is more personal. They also have a marketing division where they help influencers start creating videos and live streaming. Amber’s team teaches them how to optimize and repurpose their content for all major channels. Consistency is part of Amber’s approach because this greatly impacts sales. For authors, Amber’s team helps them launch their books. Defining referrals Referral in the traditional sense is the sharing of information from one person to another about a particular business or service. By word of mouth, people share information with colleagues, friends, and family about businesses they believe in and trust. Getting referrals is a great way to build a customer base through people who have already used your services or products so you want to make sure you ask for the referral while the memory is still fresh and they’re excited. Amber has a systematic approach she uses in asking for a testimonial. At the end of every website project, they celebrate their success with their clients. While they are celebrating and happy, Amber asks the clients if they would be willing to provide a written testimonial of their experience. The client invariably asks what she wants them to say but Amber lets them know she’d rather have them articulate their own experience with her company so the testimonials are 100% true and genuine. Over the years, she has found there are consistent keywords throughout the testimonials. Repurposing contents For years, these written testimonials were the norm but now, videos have become popular. Amber started asking for video testimonials when she realized it was the best way to develop a personal connection in this digital world. Video is more authentic. With the rise of live-streaming, Amber has taught her team to invite their clients to their Zoom Room live-stream. It’s an opportunity where to celebrate a book launch and they can also interview their clients. This offers two great opportunities. On the one hand, they are giving their clients a platform to share their message and grow their business. On the other hand, part of the interview entails the client being asked to share their experience while working with Amber’s team. It’s a win-win situation. Regardless of which platform or how the information is developed, Amber then repurposes the content and optimizes it for YouTube or blog content. Working from multiple platforms is a way to show potential clients that they are active in the business and it elevates the whole experience. Most sales teams fail to take advantage of these kinds of opportunities and can miss a very effective system. Once you know how to organize the flow, the entire process becomes a little more automated. Getting a constant referral rate Amber is writing a book with the working title Elevate Every Experience: Develop Personal Connection to Scale your Influence. Amber believes that people should be focusing on developing personal connections with each person they’re attracting into their ecosystem. As mentioned earlier, you can draw people to you using video content. As they feel they’re getting to know you, there are things you can do to nurture that relationship and move this into the beginning of a sales experience. By the time you call, they feel like they’ve known you for a long time. You need to be intentional about their sales experience. Being transparent and honest in the video stages helps set you up to be liked and trusted. When you do that, you’ll be able to build that consistent experience and further deepen the relationship. As a sales rep, you control the experience for the people you work with. Depending on what you offer, they can start as a follower, then a prospect, then as a client. You can create a website but people will stay based on the way you make them feel. You need to have the desire to build a relationship with your customer. Existing customers vs New customers Many salespeople are focused on looking for new clients and don’t realize the satisfaction, fulfillment, and profit in extending themselves to their existing customers. While it’s good to reach out and look f

5 Things To Know Before Using LinkedIn Voice Message Salespeople want to know how to use new features that enable us to reach out to prospects and an example is the LinkedIn voice message. There are, however, things you need to know before sending your first one. LinkedIn Voice Messaging LinkedIn is now expanding its reach and updating its platform with new features. One great feature you want to be aware of is the ability to send a video message. Donald Kelly has 5 tips for using LinkedIn’s voice message: Tip 1: Keep your message simple Tip 2: You need to have a specific message Tip 3: Offer value Tip 4: Follow a structure Tip 5: Have an invitation to action Keep it Simple LinkedIn voice messages offer a 60-second to record a message. (If you don’t know how to find this tool, you can check out this episode on our YouTube channel, episode 1316.) When you only have 60 seconds you need to keep your message simple and brief. Your prospects are bombarded with activities from daily schedules and you don’t want to make their lives more difficult by giving them a voice message that takes too much time. Use a message and a value When you reach out to your prospect, be sure of your message. What do your prospects really need from you? The prospect wants the message to be worth their time. Your job is to focus on their problems and the solutions you provide. The people you’re contacting are likely first-degree connections so you don’t need to tell them everything your company does. These people have already connected with you. The first thing you’re going to say is your name and then you can go ahead with your message and tie it in with value. Starting a personalized message with “Out of curiosity …” allows space for a conversation to begin. #SalesPersonalization Follow a structure Leave a message like you’re talking to a friend and make sure you include an invitation to an upcoming event or make them aware of information that brings value. Offer something that will be beneficial to them.This may be as simple as sending images or videos that may be helpful to them but it increases engagement. Keep in mind, this feature is only applicable to those who have the LinkedIn application. For those without the application, you need to download the application on your device to get the most robust features LinkedIn has to offer. Call to action Include an invitation or call to action. An example message might be: “Hey, Shannon! How are you doing? I loved your post recently about ____. You guys are doing some amazing stuff. By the way, we’re doing a webinar next week. I wanted to see if you’d be open to coming into the webinar.” For people with whom you’re already connected, you can leave a similar message or ask them a Yes or No question to offer an opportunity to respond. Ideally, you want this to lead to a conversation. “5 Things To Know Before Using LinkedIn Voice Message” episode resources If you are interested in more sales stories, you can talk to Donald directly. Reach him via these channels: LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook about any sales concerns. This episode is brought to you in part by Crmble, the easy-peasy CRM for Trello that helps you manage your contacts and leads without investing in complicated solutions, sync all your data, manage custom fields, and get powerful reporting on your sales. Try Crmble now for free at www.crmble.com/tse. This course is also brought to you in part by TSE Certified Sales Training Program. It’s a course designed to help new and struggling sellers to master the fundamentals of sales and close more deals. It will help them elevate their sales game. Sign up now and get the first two modules for free! You can go and visit www.thesalesevangelist.com/closemoredeals also call us at (561) 570-5077. We’d love for you to join us for our next episodes so tune in on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, and Spotify. You can also leave comments, suggestions, and ratings to every episode you listen to. You can also read more about sales or listen to audiobooks on Audible and explore this huge online library. Register now to get a free book and a 30-day free trial. Audio provided by Free SFX and Bensound. Other songs used in the episodes are as follows: The Organ Grinder written by Bradley Jay Hill, performed by Bright Seed, and Produced by Brightseed and Hill.Mentioned in this episode:HubSpot and bluëmago | STUDIOSHubSpot and bluëmago | STUDIOS hubpspot.com/marketers bluemangostudios.com

Finding the Right Blend of Personalization and Automation In Outbound Sales There has to be a balance between personalization and automation in outbound sales. The question is, how do you keep the right blend of the two? In this episode, we’ll discuss how to personalize the method of automation. Stephen Lowisz always says that he sucks at everything except sales. He was 16 when he started selling consulting solutions. He didn’t make any money at first but even with no formal training he was able to study the process and he made his first 1.1 at 19. When Stephen started sales, it was old-school smile-and-dial. It was a time of manual effort - finding people, getting their data, putting it on SalesForce, and calling. Things are different now. The lack of interest in effective outreach Outbound sales isn’t necessarily viewed as appealing. The appeal comes later when you’re collecting the check. Outbound sales is considered spam because we often get automated messages from a variety of sources. Many sales teams don’t realize there is a right and wrong way of sending out emails. The balance between personalization and automation Executing Stephen’s philosophy of making outbound more personal is executed by taking a group of people that are almost identical in persona. Once they are selected he then communicates with the group as a specific persona and it helps make the message more personal even if it’s being automated to a specific group. In his company, they sell behavioral analytics to predict sales team performance within organizations and most of their products are focused on HR. They are good clients but they are not a group where persona can be defined. When he talks to a small group of people who exhibit the same persona he can get very personal with them. Most salespeople approach an individual saying, “Hey I’m Stephen from Quality Agents. I run a performance solution and I have behavioral analytics …” and on and on, making it all about them and their products. Stephen has a different approach. He’ll say, “Look, running HR, essentially being the CEO of people in a fast-moving tech company with ever-changing needs, is really, really difficult. I get to align with HR leaders like yourself, to help them grow and scale and align their teams and I want to swap some insight and ideas.” He’s able to make it about them and shows up to serve and partner. Automate the activity and the task Stephen suggests that you can automate the activity and the task well. You can send a sequence of automated emails and then do the same thing with LinkedIn where you do voicemail drops. Another tip to staying personal is by automating the task. In earlier years, sales had no automation. Everything was manually and there was a need for a methodology. Even with automation, however, we still need methodology in sales today. Without specific steps, you can end up working harder without working smarter. There are many tools to do this but it’s when you have a sequence and methodology that you are able to optimize your sales process. The approach Stephen created an e-book called Sales Code which offered a different mentality around sales. The goal of salespeople is to set up an appointment and make a deal; however, it is also equally important to pique the emotional curiosity of your prospects. This is what outbound sales is. It’s about piquing not just the product or service interest but also emotional curiosity. To create a balance between automation and personalization, Stephen suggests beginning with a personal approach. Once they have an emotional investment, it is more likely appointments will be made. When that’s done you can move them through email automation and start connecting with them via LinkedIn automatically. After that, a personal conversation. Cold-calling isn’t dead Cold-calling may not be scalable but it’s also not dead. It’s a good idea to warm-up your prospects with a few LinkedIn touches or emails. Depending on the size of your business, you can also use Facebook. Generally, it takes 7 - 12 touchpoints before someone will meet. Remember that prospects are different from each other so spend a lot of time nurturing the relationship using a lot of different avenues. Be professionally persistent without hounding your prospects. Cold-calling is a catalyst to get a response via other mediums. More often than not, people won’t call you back but if you give them the right opportunity and nudge them in a professional way, they will respond. Others misconstrue formality with professionalism. Stephen uses an informal approach but he tailors his message. His goal is to talk to people on a peer-to-peer level. He is professional but for him, taking a formal approach doesn’t work as well. It’s very easy to become unoriginal in sales if you just follow the strategies of other people. It’s good to take into account what successful people have done but do it in a way that is authentic and unique to you, and to your client. The f

Shoan's mission is to help every person on the planet that has a powerful and compelling message, to overcome their challenges with getting their material out “there” and broadcast their voice with confidence, courage, and fearless determination in order to connect with the Social Media World and impact their audience with next-level engagement.Mentioned in this episode:HubSpot and bluëmago | STUDIOSHubSpot and bluëmago | STUDIOS hubpspot.com/marketers bluemangostudios.com

A brief summary of this episodeMentioned in this episode:HubSpot and bluëmago | STUDIOSHubSpot and bluëmago | STUDIOS hubpspot.com/marketers bluemangostudios.com

Tom Abbott is the founder and Managing Director of SOCO Sales Training. He has delivered hundreds of motivational sales keynotes, kickoffs, presentations and workshops in over 20 countries and is a pioneer of optimising the sales processes of organizations worldwide. He is the author of the sales books The SOHO Solution and Social Selling, the host of the Selling in Asia podcast and is the architect of SOCO Academy an award winning e-learning platform helping thousands of small business owners and sales professionals optimise their sales performance. And here are links to resources Tom shared in the episode: SOCO Sales Training Website https://www.socoselling.com Free copy of ’Social Selling’ book by Tom Abbott: https://bit.ly/SOCOevangelizers Connect with Tom on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/socoselling/ Facebook Soco Selling Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/socosellingMentioned in this episode:HubSpot and bluëmago | STUDIOSHubSpot and bluëmago | STUDIOS hubpspot.com/marketers bluemangostudios.com

Tom Whalen is a career Inside Sales professional and has been leading sales teams since 2000. As a leader, coach, and mentor, Tom has trained countless sales professionals for industry leading organizations such as: Hewlett-Packard, American Express, Key Corp and McKesson Corporation. Tom has built successful sales teams from scratch, scaled new organizations, turned struggling departments around, and integrated several acquisitions. Tom’s passion for developing talent, winning new business and moving the inside sales profession forward has been instrumental in the growth of the companies he’s worked for as well as the clients they serve. When Tom isn’t growing sales organizations, he loves taking wife Suzanne and two daughters Casey and Sydney to Disneyworld and is a zealous fan of all things wrestling.Mentioned in this episode:HubSpot and bluëmago | STUDIOSHubSpot and bluëmago | STUDIOS hubpspot.com/marketers bluemangostudios.com

A brief summary of this episodeMentioned in this episode:HubSpot and bluëmago | STUDIOSHubSpot and bluëmago | STUDIOS hubpspot.com/marketers bluemangostudios.com

John Voris educates about the very things that make us tick, the roots that make for success or failure in our work, relationships and personal well-being. John is a philosopher, writer and a psychological researcher. John earned his degree from the University of California with a degree in Philosophy. “Discover the Power That Drives Your Personality” is the result of over 20 years of application and another 16 years of research. By applying European discoveries into field application involving hundreds of sales prospects, John invented a groundbreaking approach to personal inquiry that revealed a person’s life motivation and authentic design far beyond sales. He discovered that our drive for personal Happiness, Meaning, Purpose and Harmony manifest the hidden power beneath our observed personalityMentioned in this episode:HubSpot and bluëmago | STUDIOSHubSpot and bluëmago | STUDIOS hubpspot.com/marketers bluemangostudios.com

How to Double Your Cold-Calling Contacts Cold-calling has always been part of the sales process. Many salespeople can struggle with this aspect of the job but it’s a critical part of gaining new prospects. The more you call, the greater the odds that they will turn into great leads. David Walter ran a call center for thirteen years and is currently a coach. He is also the author of the book, The Million Dollar Rebuttal and Stratospheric Lead Generation Secrets. David also worked with the American Bank i, and then helped his father sell million-dollar HVAC equipment. The recession then hit, however, and David had to look for another job. David reads a lot as part of his training and personal development. He credits his exposure to quality books as being a catalyst to the life he has today. With the culmination of his experience and knowledge, David has been able to revolutionize the concept of cold-calling from the ground up. Mistakes salespeople make David did training with SDRs in Plano and made a video series to help them learn more about cold-calling. When they were doing their calls, however, they were just calling the wrong numbers and weren’t getting anywhere. They weren’t able to make any useful contacts. Based on a study, 70% of contact information is incorrect and 55% of the people you call may not be available to talk to. These “dead” numbers can eat up a sales rep’s valuable hours. However, David assures us all is not lost. During David’s years in the call center he was always on the hunt for the perfect list. The lists were supposed to be verified but he found that it wasn’t the case. He learned his lesson and decided to release the idea of a perfect list. Instead, he opted for a basic format with the names of the companies and put it in a simple CRM like Crmble. He also developed a script that he still uses to get “gatekeepers” to provide needed information. He did this by listening to natural calls and getting back to the basics. For example, David used to work with a distributorship and it involved him answering calls. He noticed that if a person just used a first name when asking for a contact, the caller sounded more confident and there was an air of authority and familiarity that he’d immediately respond to. David realized he could use this “first name” technique to qualify contacts. Ask the basic questions first David also observed that people often have an easier time if you ease them into answering a series of questions.Confirming an address is an easy way to get someone to open up. Ask your way into more information little by little. David will typically start at LinkedIn when qualifying a new company. Oftentimes, LinkedIn has the most updated information about the company name and can access a list of employees to know who he should call. Cold-calling is not a numbers game Many sales people perceive cold-calling as the hardest part of the job. In truth, cold-calling can be at the same level as other activities if looked at in the right way. With anything worth doing, it may seem hard at first but with practice and the right instruction, it becomes easier. In Will Smith’s movie, The Pursuit of Happiness, Will’s character didn’t call his list from top to bottom. What he did was skip names and call randomly. While Walter Ribbon didn’t buy from Will, he got invited to a game where Will Smith was able to build a network with important people. Just know that if your goal is to make an appointment with 15 people, you need to call at least 40 people. Qualifying your data Qualifying data is important so sales people aren’t wasting their time. The key to cold-calling is to keep calling the companies at least three to four times a day within 3-4 days. Sales reps hesitate to do this because they’re afraid of burning the list but if you do it the right way,this can be avoided. The way not to burn your list is to make your calls short and as natural as possible. In addition to using the first name method, don’t leave a voicemail. Leaving a voicemail can be the cause of burning a list. Keep your call short and sweet and change your opening with each call. The other strategy David uses is, “Hey, I’m calling for Donald but he’s probably gone for the day.” David mimics a negative attitude that most gatekeepers have and uses it to position them to offer something positive. They will often want to counteract the negativity. Give that chill attitude David also discovered that the less you seem to care, the more people will give you what you need. You don’t want to sound desperate over the phone. With a more laid back attitude you will be more likely to talk to the person you want to talk to. Prospects may not have needs Most prospects don’t actually believe they need to change. Looking for prospects who know their needs can be like looking for a needle in a haystack yet this is what salespeople are looking for. What can you do as a sales rep? You can realize they are not saying No, they’re saying that the

How To Get Cold Prospects To Genuinely Listen Every call to a prospect provides an opportunity to get a sale. Your job is to move the odds in your favor and you do this about strategizing the right approach in that initial call. With the right preparation, your prospects will genuinely want to listen to what you have to say. About 25% of the phone calls you make are answered by the person you are reaching out to. Now that you have them on the phone, however, what do you say to maintain their interest? In cold-calling, every second matters, every word matters. In this episode, Donald will offer tips on how to excel in cold-calling by grabbing your prospects’ attention, and eventually make an appointment and hopefully, a sale. Grab your prospects’ interest Cold-calling can be difficult and when you let your nerves get the best of you you can end up rambling. Before you know it, they’ve hung up on you. You need to do what you can to ensure the call is successful and a lot of that success is going to be based on how you prepare long before the call happens. If you are getting to talk to people only 25% of the time, the other 75% of your time is spent going straight to voicemail so don’t waste that opportunity! You can still leave an interesting message for them to listen to. Donald learned that there are two things people want to know - your identity and purpose. Human beings have a primal need to know if someone is friend or foe. Prospects can get very defensive the moment they perceive they are part of a cold call. As a salesperson himself, Donald is one who listens and engages in conversation and sometimes, he provides tips as well. Donal would always give them the benefit of the doubt but he is more the exception than the rule. Putting yourself in their shoes When making cold calls, put yourself in their shoes. Think about what might be on their minds at that moment. If they don’t know you, the person answering the phone will wonder who you are and why you’re calling. In this scenario, Donald employs the POR strategy or Point of Reference. Everyone you’re calling will automatically distinguish and categorize you as either a friend or a foe depending on your initial statement. Your job is to give them a point of reference to extend the conversation. Using a referral One way to provide a point of reference is a referral. For example, Donald wants to call an organization about sales training. In that first call, he’ll ask to speak to someone in the finance department. Once he’s connected he then asks that person who is in charge of their sales training. Once he’s given the name, he asks this initial contact if it’s okay to use their name as a reference. Let’s say Donald is prospecting Dave Smith. After he calls finance, he calls Dave saying, “Hey Dave, Megan from Finance told me to connect with you about sales training.” Dave will now give Donald the time because he knows Megan, Donald’s point of reference. Dave from sales training is now willing to listen to Donald and hear his proposal. Connecting via LinkedIn Another point of reference you can use is by initially connecting to your prospect through LinkedIn or some other platform before you make the first call. You can send them an email or private message. Once this is done, you can open the call with, “Hey Linda, we connected on LinkedIn last week...” This prompts Linda to look at her messages to find you and if your message is well done, your odds are much better that Linda will take the time to listen to you. Donald had this experience recently. He connected with a prospect on LinkedIn and shared her content because it resonated with him. When Donald made the phone call to her, he was able to mention that particular reference of him sharing the post. They had a good dialogue and their conversation went on for some time. Through LinkedIn profiles, you can find several other points of reference as well: company content, interests, hobbies, books they are reading - you can use all these things to build common ground. The challenge Think about three different points of reference you can use in your outreach. Introduce yourself and then drop your point of reference. “How To Get Cold Prospects To Genuinely Listen” episode resources Share your points of reference with Donald. If you are interested in more sales stories, you can talk to Donald directly. Reach him via these channels: LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook about any sales concerns. This episode is brought to you in part by Crmble, the easy-peasy CRM for Trello that helps you manage your contacts and leads without investing in complicated solutions, sync all your data, manage custom fields, and get powerful reporting on your sales. Try Crmble now for free at www.crmble.com/tse. This episode is also partially brought to you by Thought Pattern for High-Performance Sales Professionals. It’s a newer course and partnership with the Pacific Insititute. This course is also brought to you in part by T

How To Lead A Team of SDRs and BDRs During Challenging Times These recent times have been tough for sales leaders. There’s a lot to be done, but if you have a team of SDRs and BDRs in these challenging times, you can still guide them toward success. Let’s talk about that in this episode. Asa Hochhauser has been in sales for 15 years primarily leading startups, both as an individual contributor and as a sales manager. He is currently busy helping sales enterprises, from small to mid-market businesses, and he is leading a sales academy where they are experiencing a lot of growth as people look for more training. Challenges in leading a team Keeping the team motivated is often the biggest challenge a sales manager can face. It’s difficult to keep up team spirit and focus on helping other companies. It’s also equally challenging to ensure that the SDRs and BDRs are doing the right thing when it comes to disseminating information and providing value. Sometimes, salespeople are so focused on learning about the product their attention is diverted away from solving buyer problems. Planning ahead As Abraham Lincoln said, “Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.” Sending emails and calling on a daily basis is still a priority but these activities have to be modified to accommodate the change brought about by the improvement of technology and computers. Asa always encourages his team to spend time understanding their ideal customers or buyers and segmenting them. Asa is also seeing to it that they are keeping their outbound in motion and encourages his team to plan for the next day. These are all done based on marketing-generated outbound. Asa’s team understands that when they plan ahead they’re not wasting valuable time that can be used on making actual contacts. They come to the office prepared with the set of activities that ensures productive time in the office. Leads coming in For Asa’s team, their marketing-generated leads are coming in based on events or content that people are engaging with. They also have a list from Discover.org based on the content they’re creating. Platforms like LinkedIn, CRM, and SalesForce have also been effective tools. There are a lot of ways that businesses can get their list of prospects but Asa cautions that these platforms can also become a distraction. This is why planning is imperative. Your team will know which platform they should focus on but don’t spend so much time there that they move away from the business of selling. This was a lesson that Asa learned from his first sales experience. Activity is important and planning, even more. Hustle despite the challenges BDRs and SDRs should always incorporate channels where their buyers are. As sales reps, we should be leading with value and empathy when reaching out to potential buyers. It’s not about asking them for appointments right out of the gate. In today’s market, conversations are started by providing the insight and value that will be helpful to the buyer. For Asa’s team, their approach is to personalize contact based on the prospect they are trying to connect with. For example, they might send a helpful article highlighting ideas in the article that the buyer needs. This empathetic approach is all the more important with heightened isolation. Their approach has been adapted to focus more on the challenge brought about by the pandemic. SDRs and BDRs would do well to focus on the needs that their clients and prospects are facing and learn more about their problems. Do this well before you mention your company’s name or product so you can personalize your solutions. Personalization is so important in today’s climate. The human touch is more important than ever. Be genuine and let your personality shine. #SaleInTimeofCOVID Improving personalization BDRs and SDRs need to spend time doing their research. It’s important you understand the company you are trying to approach. Start by going to the bio profile or the company profile to know the people you want to talk to. Read what your buyers are reading. This common ground goes a long way in making a connection. Another way to improve personalization is by providing solutions for pain points. Just ensure your messaging is centered on the person you’re talking to. Having a genuine approach is effective and so important. Even in these hard times, be grateful you are still a sales rep and a member of a team. This means you still have a job and with that, you have an opportunity to make a difference. “How To Lead A Team of SDRs and BDRs During Challenging Times” episode resources Reach out to Asa Hochhauser via his LinkedIn. If you enjoyed this episode, drop us a comment below! If you are interested in more sales stories, you can talk to Donald directly. Reach him via these channels: LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook about any sales concerns. This episode is brought to you in part by Crmble, the easy-peasy CRM for Trello tha

Building Good Habits In Sales Salespeople need to build good habits to excel in their careers and close more deals. There is an abundance of training materials, books, and seminars to become the salespeople we want to be. In this episode, we will talk about moving from being a salesperson to becoming a sales professional. Mark Evans has been a salesperson all his life, starting with his parents’ small business, practicing being a salesperson. After finishing college, he got back into sales. Now, Mark has a sales consultancy where he helps companies build their sales playbook. He teaches disciplined actions that can be used daily. These actions focus on the craft of selling long before the first meeting. This is the respect prospects deserve. Respecting the prospects The key differential between salespeople and being a sales professional is the level they hone their craft and prepare for each meeting. A true sales professional won’t practice in front of their prospects. Sales professionals are intrigued by perfecting their craft. They are disciplined in their approach and practice their questions so that when it’s game time, they are at their best. They’ve put in the practice. There’s a difference between a salesperson and a sales professional. The difference is practice and craft. #SalesProfessional Level of preparation The chef at a restaurant shows up hours before the kitchen opens to ensure everything is prepped, fresh, and prepared properly. They do this to offer their best to the customers. The same should be true in sales. Even before you see your customer, do your research, identify your ideal customer, and understand the most current problems they’re facing. Have empathy for their circumstances and be ready with solutions. That level of preparation will uplevel you from salesperson to sales professional. Facing the challenge Yes, preparation takes time and effort. Mark employs a strategy with his clients called The Triangle: Three people come together for a meeting and take turns role playing as the salesperson, the prospect, and the observer. As they take turns they practice various sales scenarios and objections while offering feedback. Sales managers can help foster a culture of excellence by allowing time for practice and taking action toward sales goals. Building good habits Building good habits can be a challenge and with so many people working from home, there are even more distractions: Social media, household chores, binge TV, family, etc. For Mark, the first thing that’s necessary for building good habits is your end goal in mind. Setting your big goals As a sales professional, it would be beneficial to set five big goals and keep them with you. Your big goals can be a combination of personal goals, professional goals, and family goals. When you have your big goals, break them down into actionable chunks that you can achieve by month, by week, by day, and even smaller as it’s helpful for focus. Accountability It is also good to have some level of accountability. You need to develop a scorecard for yourself to keep track of your progress. One tool that Mark suggests is writing out a check to an organization you don’t support. Give it to a friend who will deposit the check if you don’t achieve the goal in the time you’ve allotted. This can help you get laser focused. Be honest with yourself It’s imperative salespeople are honest, especially to themselves. Examine whether or not you are truly willing to make the changes that are necessary to get to your goals. Are your goals big enough to make you change? Ask yourself what it’s going to take you for you to make a phone call when you don’t want to. Set a goal that inspires you and inspires the people around you. Take action everyday Take daily action that will move you into daily habits. Mark suggests for salespeople to do The Power Hour. This is 60 minutes you dedicate to your goals. (If you can do more than one power hour, great, just work for 50 minutes and take a break or enjoy a reward for 10 minutes.) For salespeople, this 60 minutes could mean picking up the phone and prospecting. Just do it sooner than later because it’s a great launch to your day. Team meetings Sales managers, team meetings are important but consider setting aside one day a week where there are no meetings. Dedicate this day to allowing your team to concentrate on their projects and clients. “Building Good Habits In Sales” episode resources Work the power hour and really concentrate on your goals. You can also check out Mark’s book called Raise Your Standards: The Definitive Guide to Building Seven-Figure Sales. Reach out to Mark Evans via his LinkedIn or his website. If you are interested in more sales stories, you can talk to Donald directly. Reach him via these channels: LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook about any sales concerns. This episode is brought to you in part by Crmble, the easy-peasy CRM for Trello that helps you manage your contacts and leads wi

How To Generate Interest In Lost Opportunities Every so often, a prior interest doesn’t end with a good close. Sometimes, there are lost opportunities. As a salesperson, how do you generate interest in lost opportunities? Today’s episode will talk about how you can turn “trash” to treasure! Have you experienced winning a deal that came from a lost opportunity? How did you do it? Leave a comment below! Defining lost opportunity Imagine this sales scenario: You are moving through the sales process with a new prospect and he/she is very excited to work with you. For some reason, however, before you get a chance to close the prospect loses interest. You’re not alone. A study from HubSpot shows that almost half the deals are lost due to budget and the other half is because of timing. Other reasons for a loss of interest are as follows are because of the lack of the prospect’s authority, no time to review or wanting more time to review the deal, and lack of urgency. Your deal became a back-burner item and it just fizzled out. Being diligent, you reach out multiple times but eventually decide that you can’t waste anymore time and move on. At that point, you label the deal as a lost opportunity and end it. Think about all those deals and lost opportunities. Could there be treasure in that trash? YES! There is. A lost opportunity One company thought The Sales Evangelist was a lost opportunity. Donald’s sales team had used a particular software and actually liked it. With changes happening in the TSE organization and the pandemic,however, they didn’t get to use the software as much and canceled the service. In this case, Donald was already a customer but canceled the service to focus resources on more immediate needs. Due to Covid-19, the software company wasn’t doing too well. Luckily, one member of their team figured out a way to move through it by looking at the list of people who had canceled their subscription. The company figured these cancelations were customers who, at one point, saw the value of their product. They asked themselves how they could re-generate interest and get these customers back. Donald was one of the customers they reached out to. In one of Donald’s previous podcasts, he talked about making an offer so good, the prospects can’t refuse. Through that email, Donald got an offer he couldn’t refuse. The software hadn’t been overly expensive when he was their customer, costing $50/month, but the email invited Donald to come back at 50% off, $25/month, for 6 months. Donald was happy to accept the offer. Had the software company focused on looking for new business alone, they would have had to educate new clients about their software and convince people to use their software. It would have been a much harder uphill battle. Instead, they had the wisdom to focus on the people who had already shown some loyalty. While it took some work to bring these customers back, it was far less than what it would have taken to look for new clients altogether. Generate more deals Visit your CRM and look out for lost opportunities. Do your research and understand why they became lost opportunities. It is best if you know why they dropped your service and address the reasons why these customers dropped their accounts. There are many different ways you can spark their interest again: Offer a smaller package with an opportunity to scale up in the coming months. Offer a service or solution that will help them solve a new or current problem. Offer smaller modules. All you need to do is be creative to ensure that you are offering great customer service while reinvigorating your accounts. It’s easier to reinvigorate customers who’ve left you than it is to train a new customer. #SalesCustomer Understand the timing Remember that 25% of deals fall away due to bad timing and reasons will vary.As a salesperson, you want to be sensitive to the reasons why the timing might be wrong. Look at accounts at least three months after they decide to drop the service. This is generally enough time for your clients to self-correct any issues that may have prevented them from working with you further. Urgency When you offer a discounted deal, let the prospect know it is only good for a limited amount of time to create some urgency. Even if your customers aren’t ready to sign on again, at least you’ve been able to touch base and get your company in front of them. Salespeople should be looking at the next deal but in times like these, it’s great to revisit previous accounts as well. Get ready to go on a treasure hunt! “How To Generate Interest In Lost Opportunities” episode resources If you are interested in more sales stories, you can talk to Donald directly. Reach him via these channels: LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook about any sales concerns. This episode is brought to you in part by Crmble, the easy-peasy CRM for Trello that helps you manage your contacts and leads without investing in complicated solutions, sync all your data

How to Network Your Way into Value Building your network is an important step in being a success in sales. With a good network, you’re able to network your value. Curt Tueffert is the Vice President of sales development for a large industrial distributor in Houston, Texas. The company was founded in 1908 is now a multinational publicly traded company with over 200 outside sales. Curt’s job is to manage a small group responsible for developing sales training, sales leadership, and vision casting for the rest of the team. Curt is also a sales instructor at the University of Houston, an author of two books, and travels across the United States trying to coach people in getting better at sales. He teaches that sales is a work in progress and no two sales are the same. Each sale needs to be approached with curiosity to discover what is needed to build relationships. Defining networking and value Curt points out that networking isn’t about the people you know, it’s about the people who know you. You can know 10 people but it’s more important to have 100 people who know you and see you as a source and resource of value. Customers and prospects are the ones who define your value in sales. You expand your network by constant communication and the cadence in which you release information they feel is valuable. This is especially true at this time where we have new rules of engagement in 2020. Now that you have time, this is a great opportunity to enhance and increase your network. Network your way into value Curt shares three ways you can network your way into value: Create an organizational chart by knowing who is connected to who in the organization. Who knows you? Increase your influence quotient. These elements affect your ability to influence other people using the research you’ve uncovered, and how you barter your information in exchange for information they can provide in turn. This is what networking is all about. The organization chart Let’s look at a company that has multiple branches of influence. When you build your organizational chart, you may start with one person but you need to know who is above them and below them, who their peers are, and the chain of command. Ideally, you want to know who is two levels up, two levels across, and two levels deep. Why so much effort? Let’s use “Greg” as an example. Greg is the person you talk to in the organization and he’s in purchasing, maintenance or the engineer. In the entire organization, you only know Greg, not his peers, the people they report to, or who their leaders are. In the event of lay-off or acquisition where Greg gets replaced, without an organizational chart, that account is lost to you. You need to know who else you can talk to. Salespeople tend to move through the path of least resistance, going to the nicest people or those who accept the gifts. There’s got to be a deeper knowledge of the accounts you’re working with. If you don’t know all the other players, you’ll be cut out of the loop if the organizational chart changes. However, if you have taken the time to know Greg, you know that Greg’s boss is Lisa and Lisa’s boss is David. The fact that David knows you will allow you to present your value proposition up your organization chart, across your organization chart, and down your organizational chart. When your number one contact gets promoted up or out of the company, continue to update that network. It is detrimental for a salesperson to not have an organization chart for his top 10 accounts since these accounts typically represent 90% of your W2. If you lose one of your accounts, you may decrease your W2 by 42%, all because you didn’t take the time to do the heavy lifting on the front end. Building the connection Building the connection then and now is different. Your job as a salesperson is to become a detective through social media and to build those relationships in person. If you want to network for value, you’ve got to really know the interests of the people in your organizational chart. When you offer value, you don’t have to track people down. People will come looking for you. It’s not about the people you know but the people who know you You can add value by connecting the people who know you to one another. This is beckoning to your network. What makes people run is illustrated in the book called Appreciation Marketing: How to Achieve Greatness Through Gratitude written by Tommy Hyatt and Curtis Lewsey talks about networking. The book uses the illustration of seven creatures, one of which is the vulture who just perches waiting to suck the life out of people at a social networking event. Another is the narcissist who is only waiting to tell people what they do. Both of these sellers make it all about them. Spend time on social media platforms such as LinkedIn learning about the people in your circles. Be curious about them and collect information that can show you how to add value through their interests. Once you’ve built that rel