Takeaways Understand How Your Prospect Makes Money: You already know how your company makes money and you already know how you make money once your company makes money. During the sales process, if you really dig in and figure out how your prospects make money, then you can sync your offering with their real incentives. It truly doesn’t matter what you sell if you can figure out how your offering impacts their revenue engine. That’s the key. Put Yourself Out There: Your network is not just going...
Jun 11, 2019•35 min
In the last 5-7 years, there has seemingly been an explosion in the number of companies, both tech startups as well as more traditional businesses, that require salespeople. Unfortunately, in that same period of time there hasn’t been any magical creation of new sales talent. That misalignment has led companies to over-recruit, under-train, and honestly… just hope reps “figure it out." I’ve had some sales leaders tell me they’ll hire 10 reps knowing full well only 4 will work out. What in the wo...
Jun 04, 2019•19 min
Takeaways Become a Subject Matter Expert : There have been many conversations on this show that have talked about the need to truly understand who your buyer is. Jess took that even a step farther by suggesting that she actually become a licensed health benefits consultant. Think about that. Are there certifications in your industry that could help you better relate to the knowledge your prospects have? Yes, you can learn these things at a high level likely through your companies sales enablemen...
May 28, 2019•28 min
In our first ever episode of READefined, we’re taking a look at Robert Cialdini’s Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion . Today, we are all becoming overwhelmed by the sheer amount of information at our disposal AND the choice that comes with that for even the most mundane topics. While it would be nice to think our prospects consider all the information available to them before they decide whether to say “yes” or “no,” you know from your own day-to-day experience that reality is quite differe...
May 21, 2019•14 min
Takeaways Speak a Common Language : As Greg was learning to sell, he was taught baseball idioms like ‘batting 1.000,’ ‘drop the ball,’ ‘be in the ballpark,’ and of course, ‘touch base.’ But to many of you listening, these phrases no longer have anything to do with the game because they’ve been so ingrained into our normal lexicon. What words or phrases might you be using that make no sense to your prospect? Greg gave the example of the literal translation of ‘How are you?’, a throwaway phrase we...
May 14, 2019•20 min
Takeaways Observe the Actions of Others : You may not have the confidence or even opportunity to approach others to ask them about how or why they do what they do, but you can definitely observe their actions. Break down how they speak, how they hold themselves, how they treat customers, and what they do that’s different than you. And these don’t have to just be people in your office. With unfiltered broadband access, these observations can be people you admire online, TED speakers, or even publ...
May 07, 2019•28 min
Takeaways Ask the Next Question : By this point, we should all be used to hearing the word “no.” However, it’s what you do after hearing it that defines you as a salesperson. The word could be a stoplight and completely shut you down. Or, it could be a challenge to you to dig a little deeper and understand the context in which that specific prospecting is using it. What aren’t they interested in? How could the get budget if the found value? When does their current contract with a competitor end?...
Apr 30, 2019•31 min
Takeaways Successful Customers Trumps Revenue: The goal of sales should not be revenue at all costs. It’s our job to find people we can make successful through the value prop we’re pitching. Rather than focusing solely on the signed contract and commission check, make sure the customers you close are going to find value in what they bought 90 days later. Buyers Don’t Have to Talk to Salespeople: 20 to 30 years ago, every buyer had to talk to a salesperson. Today, buyers can watch demos, compare ...
Apr 23, 2019•35 min
Takeaways Share : Even if what you share is unrelated to what you’re trying to sell, doing so allows you to show you care, which drives future opportunities. Focus on the Customer : Know the buyer from every angle at the company and personal level. Provide Value : Constantly consume and share content that will be relevant to your buyers. Full Notes https://www.salestuners.com/jill-rowley/ Book Recommendation Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us by Seth Godin Sponsor Costello – What if every sales rep ...
Apr 16, 2019•41 min
Takeaways Take Advantage of Opportunity : There is a short window of time to take advantage of every opportunity. If you wait until an opportunity presents itself, it’s already too late. Seek out chances to learn, be more efficient, and give 100 percent from the get-go so you’re never in a position to wonder what might have been. Doors open on a daily basis, but oftentimes they are short and they are small. It’s crucial to take advantage of them when they’re there. Preparation and Repetition Alw...
Apr 09, 2019•37 min
Takeaways Learn From Others: Everyone learns from failure, but you don’t have to learn from your own failure. Whether it’s your peers, other professionals in your network, books, blogs, or even podcasts like this. You owe it to yourself to seek out knowledge both positive and negative from others. But be careful, you want to learn from the best, not just your buddy or some random stranger. Pride Will Kill You: The stubbornness of pride locks you into your own thoughts. We have a cognitive bias a...
Apr 02, 2019•42 min
Takeaways It’s Not About Learning : It’s about applying what you love and who you are to what you do. While you need to understand your product, It’s more important to know how to sell than it is to know all the technical features and benefits of your offering. Comparing sales to fitness… you can educate yourself all you want about what it takes to get a perfect six pack, but none of that matters until you start applying that knowledge. Application and execution are the most important part of th...
Mar 26, 2019•44 min
Takeaways Be Responsive and Get Shit Done: When you’re working at a company that is really going somewhere, everybody has a hundred things on their plate and constantly shifting priorities. If you want to stand out, be the person that volunteers for new projects and make sure to follow through. Once you say you’ve got it, don’t be the person that someone else has to follow-up with or check-in on. This exposure is what will make you great in the future. Hone in on Your Top Segments: The simplest ...
Mar 19, 2019•37 min
Takeaways Remember It’s Not About You : Hearing “no” in sales is a given, but that doesn’t make it any less trying. Regardless of the circumstances surrounding how exactly you are shot down, there is no more important personality strength than the ability to bounce back. Sales is so much easier when you can remove yourself from the process and remember one simple truth: it’s not about you. It’s not a personal attack. You are doing your job, and it might be challenging right at this moment, but “...
Mar 12, 2019•34 min
Takeaways Words are Powerful: Your mastery of language and results driven communication is paramount to your success in sales. It’s one thing to be good, but becoming a student of linguistics and really understanding the nuance between conscious and subconscious states can take you to an entirely different level. Think about the notion of associated and dissociated language — such as using the royal “we” when you really mean “I.” Learning different communication styles can help you not only infl...
Mar 05, 2019•55 min
Takeaways Pleasantly Persistent : Keep pursuing your prospect using personalized messaging while communicating value. Overtime, the relationship will unfold so that you spend your time on qualified and interested buyers. Make it Personal : Although tempting, don’t just use the templated email that you know won’t get opened. Spend the time to identify details about the person you’re emailing and get creative with it. Email Subject Lines : Using anonymous data across all clients, SalesLoft has det...
Feb 26, 2019•45 min
Takeaways Master the First 20 Seconds: We all get defensive when we receive an unexpected call from someone we don’t know. Don’t take it personal as it’s a cultural issue. However, it is your job to dissolve that defensiveness very quickly. First thing first — remove iffy language. Don’t tell them you’re “just calling” as if you have nothing better to do. Also, don’t ask them how they are. Not only is that a tell tale sign that you’re a salesperson, but when a stranger asks about your health, yo...
Feb 19, 2019•52 min
Takeaways Invest Time Building the Right List: Knowing who your ideal prospect is, is only the beginning of a good outreach plan. Don’t take for granted the amount of work that goes into identifying exactly who those people are and trying to acquire their contact information. If you’re doing this manually, it’s a lot of work, and even if you’re paying for data sources, it still takes a lot of preparation to do it right. After you identify the right people, next spend some time trying to hypothes...
Feb 12, 2019•28 min
Takeaways Plan Your Target Accounts : Too many sales reps take the shotgun approach when it comes to prospecting. To me, it feels like that’s the reason we get so many shitty emails and generic LinkedIn connection requests. Take the time to plan out who you’re going to target over the next 90 days. Whether that’s 100 accounts or just 30, you’ll be able to actually customize your outreach to each person individually, or better, work to find a common connection to make an introduction. Role Play w...
Feb 05, 2019•26 min
Takeaways Systematize Your Follow-up : I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase “persistence pays” many times. Well, I hope they were talking about sales, because it couldn’t be more true. I’ve read startling stats that say on average, a sales rep will only reach out to a prospect two times before giving up. That just seems ludicrous to me. Even if your company doesn’t invest in software for you and regardless of whether they’re an active opportunity, a warm lead, or a brand new cold prospect—find a way...
Jan 29, 2019•32 min
Takeaways Make Planned Calls, Not Random Calls : For many people it doesn’t take long to realize that quality over quantity matters. For example, sometimes it’s not about how many calls you make. It’s about making planned calls that target specific prospects. Instead of working your way through a list and starting over at the beginning, make calls to the same two or three prospects in the same account on the same day. It’s Hard to Say No to Someone Personally : Face to face communication is huge...
Jan 22, 2019•35 min
Takeaways Disqualify Early : If you want to save both yourself and your prospect time, then it’s your job to disqualify them as early as possible. Now, if you have a weak pipeline or don’t like prospecting, I know you will hang on to every opportunity like it’s a bar of gold, but it’s likely costing you. Instead of trying to figure out every possible way your product could work for them, focus in on the two or three things that would make it not a fit, and be transparent about it. Doing this wil...
Jan 15, 2019•29 min
Takeaways Differentiation is Key: Most of us want to believe we’re not selling a commodity, but having been on the buyer's side of the table for several SaaS platforms lately, I assure you, each demo starts to blur together because the features are all so similar. Figure out how you can differentiate yourself from your competitors not only in what you sell but how you sell. Unless you’re the founder of the company, I know you don’t have control over the product itself, but tailoring your pitch t...
Jan 08, 2019•32 min
Jan 01, 2019•15 min
Special Holiday Episode https://www.salestuners.com/making-a-list Sponsor Costello - What if every sales rep inherited the habits of your best rep? With Costello, they do.
Dec 25, 2018•12 min
Takeaways Ask Direct Questions About the Sales Process: Buyers that are interested and want to actually buy are more forthright with information than you may think. They want you to know what has to happen, but it’s your responsibility to ask, and you need to be direct about it. For instance, the last time you bought something like this, what did that process look like? Did you buy alone or were other people involved? How long did it take? Knowing these details can help you understand not only w...
Dec 18, 2018•30 min
Takeaways Empathy Saves Time: I know it sounds counterintuitive, but slowing down a sales process can often times speed up the deal. If you lean into your prospect and get a good emotional intelligence read, the empathy you show gets them to open up about their actual concerns. Get to “No": When you are leading your prospect to say “yes," they get worried about what they are committing to and anxiety creates confusion. But, when you get them to say “no,” they feel protected and they have the ill...
Dec 11, 2018•45 min
Takeaways It Doesn’t Matter What You Want: There's nothing that frustrates buyers more than getting cold messages that are all about you. You know the ones I’m talking about… where every paragraph, or maybe even every sentence, starts with “I.” I hope, I just, I wanted, I think, I, I, I, I. Again, it doesn’t matter what you want. Take two minutes to find something personal about the person you’re reaching out to. If for some reason, you can’t find anything, make the message about their situation...
Dec 04, 2018•38 min
Takeaways: Use the Information You Get : Every salesperson has been told they need to ask great questions, but here’s the deal, if you don’t actually listen to the buyer and use the information they give you, what was the point to begin with? Yes, you have to uncover some kind of pain and tie it to a compelling event, but how many times have you made your prospect feel like they’ve wasted their time with you by asking questions they’ve already answered either to you or to an SDR who set the meet...
Nov 27, 2018•33 min
Here I am. Halfway around the world, living what most would consider the “experience of a lifetime.” Yet, I’m spending my time thinking about all the things YOU get to do on a daily basis. Don’t get me wrong, I wouldn’t trade this time for anything, but living in a constant state of change does start to wear on you. As we look to celebrate Thanksgiving this week, I recorded a special solo show about what it means to be happy and what I’m thankful for. Full Notes https://www.salestuners.com/thank...
Nov 20, 2018•11 min
