Sales Leadership Conversations

Mark Schopmeyer, co-founder and co-CEO of sales commission software company CaptivateIQ, says sales compensation plans don't have to be the headache they are for many companies. And they certainly shouldn't drag on company culture and morale. We talk about how sales leaders can better communicate changes to compensation plans and structure commissions so they are clear, fair and motivating. If you have sales compensation questions that aren't addressed in this episode, we'd love to hear them. Email Paul@salesandmarketing.com and we'll have Mark back on.

Sridhar Ramanathan is the co-founder and chief operating officer of Aventi Group, a Silicon Valley product marketing agency that serves high-tech clients. He expounds on a recent article he wrote for Sales & Marketing Management on why misalignment occurs so often between B2B sales and marketing teams, and how to fix that.

Sales trainer Amy Franko shares highlights from a webinar she presented recently for SMM Connect on the most important metrics for sales managers to monitor. Before we dive into that, I speak with Amy about her shift from B2B sales in the tech world to starting her own sales consultancy. She talks about how she goes to market and how companies can be smarter buyers of sales training.

There's a lot of talk about how two years of working virtually has led to permanent changes in the B2B sales process. It's broadly accepted that the customer/prospect drives the sales process bus. They determine when and how a meeting will occur, and more often they are going with virtual meetings.What does that mean for how salespeople will foster and maintain relationships with customers and prospects? What skills matter most in this new selling environment?In this podcast, we talk with Julie Thomas, president and CEO of ValueSelling Associates, which recently published an eBook on a study they completed called "The Behaviors and Skills Sales Leaders Care Most About - and How to Measure Them."Thomas talks about the skills that matter most in each of four sales process phases:Engaging with prospectsProspecting and qualifying leadsNegotiatingClosing DealsOne of the biggest changes that companies must embrace, says Thomas, is the need to measure behaviors and not just the outcome (i.e., sales).

When I initially read a review of Ayelet Fishbach's new book, "Get It Done: Surprising Lessons from the Science of Motivation," I was skeptical. Does anyone really need another book on motivating others?However, it doesn't take long after digging into this book to discover that she's presenting research -- both her own and other studies -- in a well-organized, thoughtful manner that unveils useful insights that can be implemented immediately by anyone who manages a team.In our discussion, Fishbach, who teaches at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, talks about why goals need to be different than chores; the importance of self-selected goals; how inexperienced and experienced (expert) workers take negative feedback differently; and what she thinks about the increased movement to help others find purpose in their work.You can start with this interview and her book, but Fishbach offers a treasure trove of other insights about effectively managing others on her website. Poke around a bit and I'm confident you'll be a better manager for it.

Douglas Cole, enterprise sales leader at LinkedIn Sales Solutions, says changing trends in B2B customers, connection and workplace culture are key areas today's sales leaders should be focused on. In this podcast episode, we dive deeper into points he covered in an article he wrote.

Martin G. Moore's directness about the sorry state of business leadership doesn't end with the title of his book. Moore says it's an unspoken truth in the corporate world that there aren't that many good leaders at the top of organizations, but he has some ideas on how to fix that.

In this sponsored podcast from Dun & Bradstreet, Citrix executive Barry Magee explains that incorporating D&B's Rev.Up ABX software program into their existing processes  was not so much about giving people data, but rather transforming how they worked.

Personalizing the B2B sale while being mindful of new privacy laws that are coming, and how to deal with the proliferation of marketing technology and revenue technology tools. A discussion with Gino Palozzi, Senior Vice President of Marketing at Dun & Bradstreet.

This episode explores a unique concept called The Sales Difference. In a period when in-person sales conversations are limited, it's tougher than ever to stand out. The Sales Difference  provides sales teams a means of winning more business and positioning themselves to build longer and stronger business relationships.

These three questions help sales teams become more acclimated to the sales application process after sales training has been completed. The questions position a sales leader to ask one final question that drives greater acceptance of sales coaching and feedback.

Author Bob Nelson and Mario Tamayo, two guys who have decades of experience in maximizing employee performance, explain how leaders can bring fun and low-cost fun into the workplace and why that is so important. An SMM webinar-turned-podcast. 

Only 16% of buyers say that sellers convey value effectively when selling virtually. Jonathan Carlson and Jake Miller of Allego explore the rapidly evolving world of conversation intelligence - how sales leaders can provide reps with personalized recommendations for content follow-ups and learning.

In this SMM webinar-turned-podcast, Shawn Finder, founder of sales automation software company Autoklose, reviews the top technology tools for growing business long term, from the top-of-the-funnel stage to closing deals.

There's increasing uncertainty in the B2B digital marketing world caused by privacy rules butting up against a desire to personalize messages in attempt to stand apart from competitors. In this 22-minute podcast, Dun & Bradstreet VP of Product Marketing Deniz Olcay discusses how to get your sales and marketing tech stack ready for a cookieless world.

In-person meetings are happening, but McKinsey states that 40% of B2B sales will remain virtual, at least for now. Are you adapting your coaching so sales reps will be ready for any selling situation, be it virtual, in-person or a hybrid approach?

Kendra Lee, president of KLA Group, examines the differences between lead generation and prospecting, and which is more appropriate when sales teams need to fill their pipelines quickly.Kendra LeePresident, KLA GroupDespite starting her sales career in accounting, failing IBM's entry-level sales exam and being told she couldn't sell without an engineering background, Kendra Lee entered sales and proved those naysayers wrong. She turned her knowledge of numbers into a lead generation approach that propelled her to the top 1% of sales professionals for each company where she sold. Author of "The Sales Magnet" and founder of KLA Group, her company helps small and medium companies get more customers.http://www.klagroup.com/

Kendra Lee presents five email prospecting tricks designed to generate a response - because starting a conversation is the whole point.Kendra Lee is president of KLA Group, which helps small and medium-sized companies get more customers. Despite starting her sales career in accounting, failing IBM's entry level sales exam and being told she couldn't sell without an engineering background, Kendra Lee entered sales and proved those naysayers wrong. She turned her knowledge of numbers into a lead-generation approach that propelled her to the top 1% of sales professionals for each company where she sold. She is the author of "The Sales Magnet."http://www.klagroup.com/

Kendra Lee, president of KLA Group, provides a formula for writing prospecting emails that not only get read, they get responded to. Because half the battle is starting a conversation. http://www.klagroup.com/

B2B buying teams want information on their own time and in the manner they desire. Sean Crowley, Dun & Bradstreet VP of Portfolio Marketing, explains Rev.Up ABX, a RevTech platform that culls the most important customer data to help companies better understand prospects and create compelling marketing campaigns across multiple channels that drive results.

Lori Richardson, founder and CEO of Score More Sales, talks about changes that B2B sales has undergone in the last year and a half and what that means for fielding a strong sales team.

We talk with Dun & Bradstreet Chief Marketing Officer Stacy Greiner about the digital marketing landscape and its impact on the world of marketing. Stacy shares some innovative insights and reveals a new platform, Rev.Up ABX, that is changing digital marketing for customers. The organization's approach combines better utilization of data and execution of all marketing tools, building consistency and congruence in their clients'  go-to-market strategies. Breaking Barriers & Accelerating Revenue in 2021: June 8-10NOTE: Here is information on Dun & Bradstreet's upcoming Rev.Up ABX event: https://events.bizzabo.com/RevUpSummit/home

Listen to a great interview with Mike Kunkle, Mike Kunkle VP, Sales Effectiveness Services at SPARXiQ.Mike Kunkle is a respected sales transformation architect and an internationally-recognized expert on sales training, sales effectiveness, and sales enablement. Mike has spent 36 years in the sales profession and 26 years as a corporate leader or consultant, helping companies drive dramatic revenue growth through best-in-class training strategies and proven-effective sales transformation methodologies and sales systems. At one company, as a result of six projects, he and his team enabled an accretive $398MM in revenue, year-over-year. At another, new sales reps with 120 days on the job were outperforming incumbent reps with five years with the company. Mike is the founder of Transforming Sales Results, LLC, and today works as the Vice President of Sales Effectiveness Services for SPARXiQ, where he advises clients, publishes thought leadership, speaks at conferences, leads webinars, designs sales training courses, delivers workshops, and designs and implements sales enablement systems that get results. He collaborated with co-author Doug Wyatt to develop SPARXiQ's Modern Sales Foundations™ curriculum and also authored SPARXiQ's Sales Coaching Excellence™ course. His book on The Building Blocks of Sales Enablement will be published in Q3 2021 by ATD Press. I also have links to a variety of other things, like… SPARXiQ Blog | https://sparxiq.com/tag/mike-kunkleSales Effectiveness Straight Talk | https://bit.ly/SalesEffectivenessWebinarsModern Sales Straight Talk | http://bit.ly/ModernSalesWebcastsLinkedIn Articles | http://bit.ly/MK-LinkedInArticlesLinkedIn Profile | https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikekunkle Twitter | https://twitter.com/mike_kunkle

Conservative media and some politicians are apoplectic that corporations are taking stands against what they perceive to be restrictive voting laws and other social issues. "My warning, if you will, to corporate America is to stay out of politics," Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell stated after Coca-Cola and Delta Airlines criticized a Georgia law that instituted additional voting restrictions.Scott Goodson and Chip Walker of StrawberryFrog, a New York-based marketing agency focused on cultural movement marketing, feel that more companies have to stretch beyond the business world to define their purpose and mission.In their book "Activate Brand Purpose: How to Harness the Power of Movements to Transform Your Company," Goodson and Walker explore the importance of identifying a larger corporate purpose than making a profit. Activating purpose doesn't have to be political, but it does need to be meaningful to engage employees and customers.Activating purpose isn't just for consumer brands. Walker dives deeper into the process of activating brand purpose in a discussion with Editor Paul Nolan.

Like it or not, some aspect of virtual sales is here permanently. Wayne St. Amand and Bob Basiliere of virtual learning platform provider Allego discuss how sales enablement must adapt to that reality. Hint: It involves AI.

Video continues to be a great marketing tool and now sales people and teams are leveraging video to communicate their prospecting as well as their value proposition messages. This includes video email to video presentations actually narrating proposals. Buyers are purchasing more products and services remotely and on demand; Therefore, it's imperative sales teams and their members position themselves as subject matter experts and there is no greater opportunity than video. This episode will teach specific video strategies sales teams can adopt. This podcast was created by Tim Hagen & Progress Coachingwww.ProgressCoachingLeader.comTim@ProgressCoachingLeader.com

Buyers are changing, are you? This episode teaches why we need to change our sale approaches individuals as well as leaders of sales teams.This podcast was created by Tim Hagen & Progress Coachingwww.ProgressCoachingLeader.comTim@ProgressCoachingLeader.com

During this episode will reveal five selling skills that are an absolute must to help sales teams gravitate successfully to the new virtual selling world: Eye contact-a salesperson's ability to maintain eye contact has dramatically changed. We now have to look into a WebCam and out into the eyes of our customer or prospect. This presents a unique challenge as well as an opportunity. quality of voice-there is certainly going to be fatigued being online; therefore, it is incumbent upon salespeople to bring quality voice with positive language using adjectives such as tremendous, great, fantastic, etc. presentation skills-a person's ability to present in person is much different than presenting online. Presenting from a device such as a PC showing a PowerPoint or a video requires salespeople not only to be ready but to smoothly transition from video screen to presentation narrating in coordination to what the prospect or customer seen. navigation skills-there are many platforms out there that allow us to sell virtually and it is incumbent upon each salesperson practicing and knowing how to navigate these tools to transition throughout the presentation. professional practice-all selling skills require practice and if there's ever been a time in oh by the way now there is time to truly practice selling skills.This episode was created by Tim Hagen from Progress Coaching

This interview with Tim Kasida Strategic Partnership Executive at Allego. Tim has over 25 years of experience growing businesses through sales, alliance management and sales leadership positions at early stage and established software companies. Tim performed critical sales functions through IPOs at Exchange Applications and Unica Corporation.  At Allego Tim runs a team focused on sales to and through Sales Training & Sales Optimization Services companies.  Tim graduated from Northeastern University, in Business with a technology/engineering focus.During this interview we discussed trends in the marketplace due to the covid crisis and how video based collaboration and coaching is dramatically helping  sales and service teams. ***   Receive Allego's E-Book: Demystifying Sales Enablement E-Book: click hereAbout Allego:The Allego Story: How Collaboration and Technology Disrupted a MarketAllego's mission is to ensure that people have the skills and knowledge they need to succeed at work.Yuchun Lee and Mark Magnacca—long-time entrepreneurs with successful careers in different industries—launched Allego in 2013 to transform training and how people learn at work. Together, they invented a new approach that uses mobile technology and interactive video to deliver learning, communication and collaboration at the moment of need. In the process, they redefined online training and disrupted an entire market.The two innovators had known each other for fifteen years when an “aha moment” at a training session led to their collaboration. Yuchun is a software executive who, prior to Allego, co-founded and served as CEO of marketing automation provider Unica, guiding it through a successful IPO and $500 million sale to IBM.Mark is an accomplished author, speaker, trainer and former financial advisor. Before Allego, he helped financial service companies build their businesses and improve their selling practices as founder of Insight Development Group, Inc., a leading sales and presentation training firm.The aha moment happened during a client engagement in 2012, when Mark noticed that the company had purchased iPads for its entire sales force. Part of the training required salespeople to practice their delivery and Mark thought there was a way to leverage this new mobile device.“We were flying everyone in for training. I thought, why don't we have everyone record their presentation on their new iPad instead, upload it and share it with their managers for certification?” recalled Mark. “I didn't know the obstacles. They had just been given a 16MB iPad and I told them to record a 30-minute presentation. I didn't know it would burn up all the space on their device and that it would be very difficult to upload and share it.”Mark envisioned an app that would solve these storage and speed constraints. He shared his idea at a brainstorming session with fellow entrepreneurs. After the session, long-time friend Yuchun approached Mark and, in his understated way, said, “I think you might be onto something. It's worth exploring.”Yuchun was intrigued by the idea of using mobile technology and video to transform sales. He thought that instead of creating an app, Mark should think about being in the software business.

This 25 minute interview with Mike Carroll from Intelligent Conversations will reveal some of the trends and things leaders need to do during  new virtual selling  times.About Mike:Are you dealing with flat revenue, margin erosion and sales hiring mistakes? If you're ready to fully commit to transforming your sales team - I can help! Contact me: info@intelligentconversations.com.MY STORYWith more than 27 years of sales and marketing experience, I learned a lot about dysfunctional organizations. Through various senior sales and sales management positions, I developed a passion for fixing sales systems. With a wide range of B2B sales and marketing experience, I have particular expertise in manufacturing, telecommunications, software, financial services, and small business banking.HOW I CAN HELP YOUI've got a Midwest work ethic and pride myself on getting results for clients with a hands-on approach. Intelligent Conversations is changing the name of the sales training game, by offering a unique data-driven approach. Most sales trainers focus on perfecting techniques, but we work on mindsets first, then skillsets.We work hands-on with senior executives, sales leaders, and salespeople to change behaviors, grow new skills, and increase value by implementing methodologies proven to create results. We do practical training as well, but we've learned that you need to assess how “change ready” an organization is first, so that the infrastructure itself can be improved in order to support the changes needed.SUCCESS STORY“Mike worked with a group of 5 business owners—myself included—to help us master the skills of consultative selling. Each of us benefited from the questions and challenges the others brought to the table. Mike adapted the concepts to make them relevant and powerful for us, regardless of our different industries. Now, we've reached the place we've been able help many of our clients achieve, and expanded our staff to keep up with our growth.”- Kirsti Tcherkoyan, CEO and Co-founder, Options4GrowthCONTACT USintelligentconversations.comp: (414) 727-9813e: info@intelligentconversations.com 

When I first heard Michael Patrick Smith being interviewed on National Public Radio's Marketplace, his story of leaving New York City for the oil fields of North Dakota in 2013, his experience seemed a world away from what we write about for our B2B sales and marketing audience. The more he talked about his experience, however, the more I realized he had a lot to say about workplace motivation and making work matter, which is a message that every manager should be interested in. His book, “The Good Hand: A Memoir of Work, Brotherhood and Transformation in an American Boomtown,” is a beautifully written account of his experience. There are lessons in it for workers and managers in any field. I was grateful to get some time to discuss the book and his experience recently, and here's that discussion.

In this episode Mike discuss is the difference between being a sales manager and a sales coach. Mike has a proven track record of working with organizations by helping sales managers become more effective sales coaches which inevitably produces stronger sales team results. The more a sales leader coaches the less they have to manage. About Mike:Are you dealing with flat revenue, margin erosion and sales hiring mistakes? If you're ready to fully commit to transforming your sales team - I can help! Contact me: info@intelligentconversations.com.MY STORYWith more than 27 years of sales and marketing experience, I learned a lot about dysfunctional organizations. Through various senior sales and sales management positions, I developed a passion for fixing sales systems. With a wide range of B2B sales and marketing experience, I have particular expertise in manufacturing, telecommunications, software, financial services, and small business banking.HOW I CAN HELP YOUI've got a Midwest work ethic and pride myself on getting results for clients with a hands-on approach. Intelligent Conversations is changing the name of the sales training game, by offering a unique data-driven approach. Most sales trainers focus on perfecting techniques, but we work on mindsets first, then skillsets.We work hands-on with senior executives, sales leaders, and salespeople to change behaviors, grow new skills, and increase value by implementing methodologies proven to create results. We do practical training as well, but we've learned that you need to assess how “change ready” an organization is first, so that the infrastructure itself can be improved in order to support the changes needed.SUCCESS STORY“Mike worked with a group of 5 business owners—myself included—to help us master the skills of consultative selling. Each of us benefited from the questions and challenges the others brought to the table. Mike adapted the concepts to make them relevant and powerful for us, regardless of our different industries. Now, we've reached the place we've been able help many of our clients achieve, and expanded our staff to keep up with our growth.”- Kirsti Tcherkoyan, CEO and Co-founder, Options4GrowthCONTACT USintelligentconversations.comp: (414) 727-9813e: info@intelligentconversations.com 

In this episode Mike reveals how to use specific sales coaching strategies and tools for individual sales Rep development. Mike speaks about core competences and how he goes about helping organizations address those competences through proven sales coaching strategies. About Mike:Are you dealing with flat revenue, margin erosion and sales hiring mistakes? If you're ready to fully commit to transforming your sales team - I can help! Contact me: info@intelligentconversations.com.MY STORYWith more than 27 years of sales and marketing experience, I learned a lot about dysfunctional organizations. Through various senior sales and sales management positions, I developed a passion for fixing sales systems. With a wide range of B2B sales and marketing experience, I have particular expertise in manufacturing, telecommunications, software, financial services, and small business banking.HOW I CAN HELP YOUI've got a Midwest work ethic and pride myself on getting results for clients with a hands-on approach. Intelligent Conversations is changing the name of the sales training game, by offering a unique data-driven approach. Most sales trainers focus on perfecting techniques, but we work on mindsets first, then skillsets.We work hands-on with senior executives, sales leaders, and salespeople to change behaviors, grow new skills, and increase value by implementing methodologies proven to create results. We do practical training as well, but we've learned that you need to assess how “change ready” an organization is first, so that the infrastructure itself can be improved in order to support the changes needed.SUCCESS STORY“Mike worked with a group of 5 business owners—myself included—to help us master the skills of consultative selling. Each of us benefited from the questions and challenges the others brought to the table. Mike adapted the concepts to make them relevant and powerful for us, regardless of our different industries. Now, we've reached the place we've been able help many of our clients achieve, and expanded our staff to keep up with our growth.”- Kirsti Tcherkoyan, CEO and Co-founder, Options4GrowthCONTACT USintelligentconversations.comp: (414) 727-9813e: info@intelligentconversations.com 

In this episode Mike reveals strategies and how to leverage the strengths sales reps exhibit by literally catching them when they do good things in using those experiences as positive sales coaching opportunities. About Mike:Are you dealing with flat revenue, margin erosion and sales hiring mistakes? If you're ready to fully commit to transforming your sales team - I can help! Contact me: info@intelligentconversations.com.MY STORYWith more than 27 years of sales and marketing experience, I learned a lot about dysfunctional organizations. Through various senior sales and sales management positions, I developed a passion for fixing sales systems. With a wide range of B2B sales and marketing experience, I have particular expertise in manufacturing, telecommunications, software, financial services, and small business banking.HOW I CAN HELP YOUI've got a Midwest work ethic and pride myself on getting results for clients with a hands-on approach. Intelligent Conversations is changing the name of the sales training game, by offering a unique data-driven approach. Most sales trainers focus on perfecting techniques, but we work on mindsets first, then skillsets.We work hands-on with senior executives, sales leaders, and salespeople to change behaviors, grow new skills, and increase value by implementing methodologies proven to create results. We do practical training as well, but we've learned that you need to assess how “change ready” an organization is first, so that the infrastructure itself can be improved in order to support the changes needed.SUCCESS STORY“Mike worked with a group of 5 business owners—myself included—to help us master the skills of consultative selling. Each of us benefited from the questions and challenges the others brought to the table. Mike adapted the concepts to make them relevant and powerful for us, regardless of our different industries. Now, we've reached the place we've been able help many of our clients achieve, and expanded our staff to keep up with our growth.”- Kirsti Tcherkoyan, CEO and Co-founder, Options4GrowthCONTACT USintelligentconversations.comp: (414) 727-9813e: info@intelligentconversations.com 

This three-step process is a very simple strategy to deploy to build higher performing sales teams. The process is very similar in execution yet some of the front and work can provide detail and clarity most sales teams are missing. This podcast episode will teach specific ways an organization can structure coaching around their approach and sales process to maximize team and individual sales performance. The process will also encompass a three step strategy that is very easy to administer yet is often missing from sales organizations approach to developing their talent.This podcast was created by Tim Hagen & Progress Coachingwww.ProgressCoachingLeader.comTim@ProgressCoachingLeader.com

From prospecting to closing, getting results from training requires a comprehensive understanding of the actions necessary to facilitate the behaviors you're after.

If sales leaders don't coach how to handle objections, salespeople often get lost when they occur. Tim Hagen reviews a three-step strategy to handle objections better.

Three words: require, practice and score. Learn what role these play in preparing reps to have more success in the new virtual sales world.

Tim Hagen explains in eight minutes why the No. 1 opportunity for sales teams today is to get reps to reinvent themselves as subject matter experts.

This episode teaches a fundamental and very easy to use three-step sales coaching process. It helps pinpoint people strengths and opportunities to improve. When sales leaders are taught this approach they typically look at this from a very simplistic perspective thinking it's very easy and while it is it requires continuous effort and application.Checkout The Upcoming Webinar at SMM Connect:Marketing with Webinars: How Clients in 27 Cities Around the World are Using Webinars to Generate a Full Pipeline of New Client Inquiries in Less Than One Hour Per Month Tom Poland, Marketing Mentor, Author, "The Million Dollar Ceiling"Register Here: https://www.smmconnect.com/events/2677